Who is Nicole Daedone, the woman accused of forcing employees into sexual acts?
The founder of sexual wellness company, OneTaste Inc., and its former sales head have been convicted of forced labour charges by a Brooklyn court.
The California-based company promoted 'orgasmic meditation', or 'OM', which was carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting.
Following a five-week trial, the court on Monday found Nicole Daedone, 57, founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, the former sales director, guilty after deliberating for less than two days, reports said.
The two accused could face up to 20 years in prison.
During the case hearing, prosecutors argued that Nicole and Rachel ran a years-long scheme that groomed adherents, many of them victims of sexual trauma, to do their bidding.
The two women used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and indoctrination to force OneTaste members into sexual acts such as having sex with prospective investors or clients.
Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta, in her closing statement last week, said the defendants 'built a business on the backs' of victims who 'gave everything' to them, including 'their money, their time, their bodies, their dignity, and ultimately their sanity.'
'The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants' benefit,' said Joseph Nocella, US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Nicole Daedone of New York co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004 as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection.
Portrayed as a cutting-edge enterprise that prioritised women's sexual pleasure, the sexual wellness company generated revenue by providing courses, coaching, OM events, and other sexual practices for a fee.
OneTaste enjoyed glowing media coverage in the 2010s and quickly opened centres from Los Angeles to London.
Nicole sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, a year before the company's marketing and labour practices were criticised.
OneTaste's current owners, who have rebranded it as the Institute of OM Foundation, said its work has been misconstrued, and the charges against its former executives were unjustified.
They also said sexual consent has always been a cornerstone of the organisation.
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