Founder of orgasmic meditation’ company gets 9 years in prison in forced labor case
NEW YORK (AP) — Leader of a sex-focused wellness company for women encouraged “orgasmic meditation” He was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on forced labor charges, federal prosecutors said Monday.
OneTaste Inc. co-founder Nicole Daedone was also ordered to forfeit $12 million at the hearing in Brooklyn. That’s the amount for which he sold the California-based company, according to John Marzulli, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors had requested a 20-year prison sentence for Daedone, arguing in court filings that Daedone’s scheme “injured numerous victims financially, emotionally and psychologically.”
“Daedone and his collaborators maintained control through economic pressure, psychological manipulation, physical exhaustion, and emotional degradation, leaving financial ruin and lasting trauma in their wake,” prosecutors wrote.
While his lawyers requested a prison sentence of approximately two years for Daedone, they argued that imposing a longer prison sentence would be “madness.”
They noted that the New York resident had no prior criminal record and that more than 200 people submitted letters to the court “attesting to his character, generosity and positive impact.”
“He lived an unusual and fascinating life and is deeply respected by people from all walks of life, including those with no connection to OneTaste,” defense attorneys wrote in sentencing briefs. “He is a prolific author, teacher, and spiritual practitioner whose work has long focused on reducing suffering and fostering meaningful human connection.”
Among those who wrote letters of support was Van Jones, a CNN correspondent and former adviser to President Barack Obama.
The longtime criminal justice reform advocate described Daedone as “a woman of extraordinary wisdom, grace and moral courage who dedicated her life to helping others find healing, empowerment and a deeper sense of human connection.”
Actor Richard Schiff of the television series “The West Wing” wrote that Daedone deserved the court’s leniency because he “spent his life trying to bring compassion, awareness and honesty to a part of the human experience that is often shamed or misunderstood.”
Daedone’s attorneys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment following the sentencing. The company’s former sales manager, Rachel Cherwitz, is scheduled to be sentenced later Monday.
During the nearly month-long trial, prosecutors said the two women carried out a years-long scheme that primed their followers, many of whom were victims of sexual trauma, to do their bidding.
They said Daedone and Cherwitz, of California, used economic, sexual and psychological abuse, intimidation and brainwashing to coerce OneTaste members into sexual acts they found disturbing or aversive (for example, having sex with potential investors or customers).
The duo told their followers that the questionable actions were necessary to achieve “freedom” and “enlightenment” and to demonstrate their commitment to the company’s principles.
One of Daedone’s lawyers, meanwhile, described her as a “ceiling-breaking feminist entrepreneur” who has created a unique business focused on women’s sexuality and empowerment.
Daedone co-founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004, a type of self-improvement commune that sees the female orgasm as the key to sexual and psychological health and interpersonal connection.
The centerpiece of these studies was “orgasmic meditation,” or “OM,” performed by men manually stimulating women in a group setting.
The company received media attention in the 2010s as a high-tech enterprise that prioritized women’s sexual pleasure, and quickly opened outposts from Los Angeles to London.
Daedone sold his shares in the company for $12 million in 2017; This was a year before OneTaste’s marketing and workforce practices came under scrutiny.
The company’s current owners have since rebranded it as the OM Foundation Institute. They argue that their work has been misunderstood and that the accusations against their former managers are unfair.
