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NBC News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Convicted ‘orgasmic meditation' leader rips outcome in Sean Combs trial as double standard
Nicole Daedone, who's in jail awaiting her sentencing for crimes related to her 'orgasmic meditation' business, condemned what she believes is a double standard reflected in the outcome of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' case. 'Diddy basically gets off while Rachel and I get convicted for what could be twenty years,' Daedone said in a statement given exclusively to NBC News, referring to former company executive and co-defendant Rachel Cherwitz. 'That should tell you everything you need to know about how we (society) view women's sexuality.' Last month, a federal jury in Brooklyn found Daedone and Cherwitz guilty of forced labor conspiracy. Federal prosecutors in New York alleged in their indictment that they targeted victims of trauma to become members of their company and manipulated them into performing sex acts and going into debt, among other things. The government said the two women 'coerced their victims to sexually service OneTaste's current and prospective investors, clients and employees.' Daedone and Cherwitz denied the claims. They are currently in jail awaiting their sentencing, which is scheduled for September. They face up to 20 years in prison. 'The case operated at an emotional level, not a legal or rational one. It made perfect sense to me: a self-possessed sexual woman is presumed guilty; in the current culture she can never be proven innocent,' Daedone said. Prosecutors declined to comment on Daedone's statement. Daedone founded women's wellness company OneTaste in 2004 and grew it into a $12 million business with thousands of followers, winning celebrity fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Khloe Kardashian. But an explosive 2018 Bloomberg article and a subsequent 2022 Netflix documentary 'Orgasm Inc.' featured former employees who said they were subjected to a toxic environment. Daedone and Cherwitz, who had been head of sales for the company, were indicted in 2023. Daedone said her conviction is unjust in comparison to hip hop mogul Combs' acquittal last week on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury of two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. His attorneys called the verdict 'a victory' after prosecutors for seven weeks painted him as the leader of a criminal enterprise who sex trafficked two of his former girlfriends. The prostitution crimes carry maximum sentences of up to 10 years each, but experts don't expect him to receive that much. Maurene Comey, who led the team of prosecutors in Combs' trial, repeatedly played the security footage of Combs brutally beating Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Prosecutors told jurors that Combs used violence, drugs and blackmail to force Ventura and another girlfriend known as 'Jane,' to have sex with male escorts in drug fueled encounters he dubbed 'freak offs.'
New York Times
06-07-2025
- New York Times
In ‘Orgasmic Meditation' Case, Did a Zealous Media Strategy Backfire?
When they were convicted of forced labor conspiracy, two leaders of OneTaste, a lifestyle company devoted to the female orgasm, used a fierce public relations campaign to claim they were victims of the justice system. Then, that fervent advocacy helped land the women, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, in jail. After weeks of sordid testimony, the judge, Diane Gujarati, specifically cited the publicity effort before refusing to grant the defendants bail before their September sentencing, an uncommonly strict requirement for first-time, nonviolent criminals — and one that the government had not sought. Juda Engelmayer, the women's lead publicist, had written online posts that the judge found troubling, including one that featured a swastika superimposed over the Justice Department's logo. 'You think a swastika is helpful to the defendants?' Judge Gujarati asked Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Ms. Daedone, at a hearing on June 10 in federal court in Brooklyn. Zealous media strategies surrounding celebrity trials have become common, with a blueprint created by President Trump's aggressive attacks on prosecutors, judges and plaintiffs. For the defendants in the 'orgasmic meditation' case, the strategy may have backfired, even though it won some conservative commentators to their side. 'It's treacherous, the relationship between the media and the clients and court,' said Arthur Aidala, a lawyer who has represented high-profile clients including Harvey Weinstein. 'You really need to proceed with caution.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nicole Daedone's Orgasmic Meditation Workshops Promised Spiritual Growth—Employees Called it a Cult
Nicole Daedone founded OneTaste, a company dedicated to teaching the practice of orgasmic meditation in 2004 and sold her stake in 2017 for $12 million She and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were convicted of forced labor conspiracy by a jury in Brooklyn on June 9 and face 20 years in prison, but plan to appeal the verdict The two "sought complete control over their employees' lives," alleged prosecutors, "driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages"'Would you like some tea?' Nicole Daedone asked a reporter on June 1 after introducing two employees at the Harlem offices of the Institute of OM, formerly OneTaste, the company she cofounded in San Francisco in 2004. She motioned toward a table set with plates of macaroons, nuts and dried fruit and sat down for a discussion of orgasmic meditation, OM for short, the 15-minute sexual stimulation practice that Daedone, 57, turned into a multimillion-dollar business. OM represents the radical idea that women's bodies hold wisdom, not shame,' she said, 'and that we can train our attention through pleasure.' The practice claims to unlock a woman's full spiritual and physical potential and even heal past sexual trauma. Daedone said she has taught OM to tens of thousands of people over the years while growing a community of devoted followers, some of whom viewed her as their spiritual leader. 'I decided from the beginning I was going to run this company as a woman, and it would be designed in a feminine way so I didn't have to separate my life and my practice from my work,' she said. 'That's why we have the community—I designed it like that.' What Daedone described as a collaborative community, however, was a business that some former employees have likened to a cult. In April 2023 Daedone—who sold her stake in OneTaste for $12 million in 2017 but remains a consultant for the rebranded company—and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44, were indicted on a federal charge of forced labor conspiracy by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. 'Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants are alleged to have sought complete control over their employees' lives, including by driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages,' said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. For more on Nicole Daedone and OneTaste, , or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday. Prosecutors argued that Daedone recruited employees by promising to heal their trauma with her teachings and then made them dependent on her and OneTaste for basic necessities such as food and shelter, isolated them from friends and family and in some cases instructed them to engage in sexual activity with individuals despite their objections or resistance. In addition ex-employees have accused Daedone and Cherwitz in civil lawsuits of sex trafficking and forcing them to do OM with potential investors. Daedone and Cherwitz have denied liability in the civil suits and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. But after a five-week trial, a Brooklyn jury on June 9 found them guilty of forced labor conspiracy. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 'The defendants built a business on the backs of a select group of women who they targeted, abused and exploited,' prosecutor Nina Gupta told jurors in her closing statement. 'They claimed they would free them.'Orgasmic meditation, or OM, is a partnered practice that involves the methodical stroking of a woman's genitals for 15 minutes. By putting the woman in a 'turned on' state of power and self-awareness, the technique leads to calm and alertness, heightened creativity and deeper relationships and can even help to heal sexual trauma, claims Daedone. A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology reported measurable changes in brain function in 20 sets of OM Daedone told it, her venture began with a happy coincidence. Born in California and raised by a single mother, Daedone graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in semantics and gender communications and was studying to become a Buddhist nun when she met a fellow guest at a party who told her about OM. She said she spent years studying the practice before launching OneTaste on a shoestring budget. 'We had people sleeping on couches, working for passion rather than maximizing paychecks, because they believed in the vision,' she recalled. 'It was Silicon Valley energy applied to human consciousness. The combination was electric.' The start-up was a financial success, offering OM workshops and retreats that cost as much as $60,000 per person. But some former employees say they were exploited for profit. 'I was really, really lonely. I really wanted community, and OneTaste offered that in such a clear way,' an ex-sales team member, who went by the name Becky Uma at work, testified in federal court on May 7. But she said her monthly salary barely covered the cost of the communal space with a shared bed she rented from the company and the OM courses she was expected to take. Becky told jurors she lived in a state of constant surveillance from peers and higher-ups and endured verbal and sexual abuse from Cherwitz. 'It was the expectation that I would be open to OMing with anybody off the street,' Becky testified. Lawyers for Daedone and Cherwitz argued that Becky, who was ultimately terminated by her bosses at her own request in order to receive unemployment benefits, could have left her job or moved out of company housing at any time. Each facing up to 20 years in prison, Daedone and Cherwitz plan to appeal the case. 'This was not justice—it was the criminalization of regret and a retroactive rewriting of consensual experiences,' Daedone said. 'The government turned ideology into prosecution, targeting female sexuality and freedom of expression.' U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. had a different take: '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.' Nocella added that he hopes 'future charlatans think twice.' Read the original article on People
USA Today
11-06-2025
- USA Today
Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation' company OneTaste found guilty in forced labor scheme
Leaders of 'orgasmic meditation' company OneTaste found guilty in forced labor scheme Show Caption Hide Caption Defense strategies for Sean 'Diddy' Combs in his sex crimes trial A legal expert discusses strategies the defense attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs might use in his federal sex crimes trial. The leaders of a sexual wellness company that claimed to teach "orgasmic meditation" were found guilty of operating a forced labor scheme in which they coerced employees into performing sexual acts for little or no pay, prosecutors said. Following a five-week trial in Brooklyn, a federal jury convicted Nicole Daedone, 57, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, on June 9 of forced labor conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Eastern District. Daedone was the founder and former CEO of OneTaste, Inc., while Cherwitz was the company's former head of sales. Prosecutors accused the two women of running a yearslong scheme to obtain the labor and services from a group of OneTaste members, which included volunteers, contractors, and employees of the company. The members were often subjected to "economic, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse, surveillance, indoctrination, and intimidation," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. According to an indictment, Daedone and Cherwitz intentionally targeted and recruited people who had suffered trauma. Prosecutors said the two women induced their members to incur debt by taking courses they claimed could heal sexual trauma and dysfunction. Daedone and Cherwitz also instructed their members to engage in sexual acts for "freedom and enlightenment," and failed to pay promised wages, according to the indictment. "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," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement. Daedone and Cherwitz each face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Who are the 'Zizians'? The cult-like group under FBI investigation What is OneTaste? OneTaste was a privately held company that was founded by Daedone in 2004, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The company was based in San Francisco but also operated in other major cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Texas, and London. Prosecutors said OneTaste promoted and branded itself as a sexuality-focused wellness education company for women. From around 2004 to 2018, prosecutors said the company generated revenue by offering courses, coaching, and events "related to so-called wellness practices" in exchange for a fee. The company also "offered hands-on classes on 'orgasmic mediation' (OM), which involved stroking a woman's genitals for 15 minutes," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said many OneTaste members lived in warehouses that were leased by the company. At these warehouses, members participated in courses and experimented sexually, according to prosecutors. Daedone was the leader and CEO of OneTaste until around 2017, when she sold the company for $12 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Cherwitz was the company's head of sales from around 2009 through 2018. The company was the subject of Netflix's 2022 documentary "Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste," which followed its rise and controversies surrounding the company. The documentary also included interviews with former members. OneTaste was not a defendant in the case and previously said it cooperated with the investigation. The company now operates as the Institute of OM Foundation, and its current owners have said the charges against its former executives were unjustified, according to Reuters. She grew up in an AZ church community. Now, she claims it was actually a religious cult. Prosecutors: OneTaste leaders used 'abusive and manipulative tactics' Prosecutors accused Daedone and Cherwitz of using "abusive and manipulative tactics" to control OneTaste members. These tactics were designed to make members emotionally and psychologically dependent on the company, prosecutors said. Between 2006 and 2018, prosecutors said Daedone and Cherwitz coerced young women who had "turned to OneTaste for healing and spirituality" into performing labor for them. The work included manual labor and sexual services. According to the indictment, the former executives encouraged their members to incur debt by opening lines of credit to pay for expensive courses. OneTaste courses each ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said. "Once they had secured the loyalty and indebtedness of certain OneTaste members, Daedone and Cherwitz engaged in abusive employment practices," the U.S. Attorney's Office said, adding that members worked long hours seven days per week with little or no pay. Prosecutors said Daedone and Cherwitz subjected their members to sexual abuse and surveillance in communal homes. The two women also deprived members of sleep and collected sensitive information regarding previous trauma and sexual histories, according to prosecutors. "They isolated the OneTaste members from their support networks by breaking up established relationships and assigning them to move to new locations on short notice," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. "While employing such tactics, Daedone and Cherwitz demanded absolute commitment to Daedone, including by exalting Daedone's teachings and ideology." During the trial, prosecutors said three witnesses testified that they were pressured into becoming a "handler" for OneTaste's initial investor, who was also Daedone's boyfriend. The witnesses said they were forced to live with him, cook for him, and "perform demeaning sex acts at his direction," according to prosecutors. Other witnesses testified that they were coerced into participating in sexual acts with the company's potential clients and investors, prosecutors said. The witnesses said Daedone and Cherwitz had threatened them with termination, demotion, ostracism, and financial and spiritual ruin. Contributing: Reuters
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leaders of sexual wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor case
Two former top executives of a women-focused sexual wellness company that offered hands-on 'orgasmic meditation' classes were found guilty of forced labor conspiracy, federal prosecutors announced Monday. OneTaste co-founder and former CEO Nicole Daedone, 57, and the company's former sales director Rachel Cherwitz, 44, were accused of using 'deception and abuse' to obtain the labor and services of employees in a years-long coercive scheme. Investigators say the two women and an undisclosed number of co-conspirators subjected 'multiple young women' to economic, sexual, emotional, financial and psychological abuse, as well as surveillance, indoctrination and intimidation between 2006 and 2018. Founded in San Francisco in 2004, OneTaste operated in cities across the U.S., including New York and Los Angeles, as well as in London. The sexual wellness education company generated revenue through coaching, events, and classes on sexual practices, including 'orgasmic meditation,' which involved stroking a woman's genitals for 15 minutes. Some of the women who had turned to OneTaste seeking healing and spiritual guidance were instead coerced into working long hours — seven days a week — for little or no pay, performing manual labor and providing sexual services, prosecutors said. Those allegations were depicted in the 2022 Netflix documentary, 'Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste.' The defendants did so by using abusive and manipulative tactics to make their victims emotionally and psychologically dependent on OneTaste, which was sold in 2017 for $12 million. The two women were charged by federal prosecutors with forced labor conspiracy in June 2023, accused of grooming victims to engage in sex acts with investors, clients, employees and benefactors. On Monday, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Daedone, of New York, and Cherwitz, of California, following a five-week trial in which three witnesses testified about becoming 'handlers' for OneTaste's initial investor— who was also Daedone's boyfriend. The women recalled being required to live with him, cook for him, and 'perform demeaning sex acts at his direction,' prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella Jr., commended the witnesses who testified despite the trauma they endured at the hands of the defendants. '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,' he said following the verdict. Attorneys for the two women said they were 'deeply disappointed' with the jury's decision, adding that Daedone and Cherwitz maintain their innocence and plan to continue their fight on appeal. 'We find inspiration in our clients, Nicole and Rachel, who have shown incredible strength throughout this entire process,' the lawyers said in a statement Monday. 'This case raised numerous novel and complex legal issues that will require review by the Second Circuit.'
