After the verdict was handed down, Richard Donoghue, United States attorney for the eastern district of New York, told reporters Raniere was “truly a modern day Svengali” whose “crimes, and the crimes of his co-conspirators, ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives”.

“Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact, a master manipulator, a con man and the crime boss of a cult-like organisation involved in sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion, compelled abortions, branding, degradation, and humiliation,” Donoghue added.

Now, The Vow – a new documentary from Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer – promises to offer viewers a deep, nuanced look inside the NXIVM organisation.

The Vow: this new documentary digs deep into the twisted NXIVM sex cult