Sex cult trial finale, LA, Kanye at Diddy
Plus: Greta's ship seized, Harvey convicted, Mahmoud to be freed (?)
For years, if you’d asked, I would have said the most dramatic judge-defense interaction I’ve witnessed as a reporter was a 30-minute courtroom standoff following a restitution hearing row in which the judge threaten to arrest counsel for NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.
But this week, another cult leader’s unexpected detention shocked the gallery, and if it didn’t unseat the 2021 staring contest, it at least came close.
On Monday, two leaders of OneTaste, a Bay Area company described by ex-employees as a “sex cult” (we talked about it last week) were convicted of forced labor conspiracy. Though the government wasn’t seeking their detention — both defendants had been out on bail for two years without issue — the judge had other ideas, and scheduled a bail hearing for the following morning.
It wasn’t just a formality: U.S. District Judge Diane Gujarati aired extensive concerns over the defendants’ supporters’ conduct during trial, including devout members of the group making faces at testifying witnesses and comments from the often-packed gallery, and OneTaste publicist Juda Engelmayer writing a blog post that featured a swastika laid over the U.S. District Court seal.
“Look, there are certain things that are appropriate to be said, but when you cross certain lines, there's a real concern about safety,” Gujarati said. She deemed the behavior “unsafe and/or designed to intimidate a witness from testifying about events that the witness would otherwise testify about.”
It also came out at the hearing that Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz both still lived with members of the group and participated in community events: Daedone gave a talk in Harlem the Saturday before her guilty verdict, and Cherwitz had plans to host an event the evening of her bail hearing.
Instead, with Gujarati finding neither defendant met her burden for pre-sentencing release, both were remanded into U.S. Marshals’ custody.
OneTaste supports looked on in shock and tears as U.S. Marshals entered the well. It took four people — defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean plus three paralegals — to help Daedone take her earrings off before she exited, trailing Cherwitz, after turning around one more time to wave at her supporters with both hands.
The next day, if you’re wondering, yours truly covered another bail-related proceeding with a BDSM backdrop, this time in Manhattan criminal court. How was your week?
The Courthouse News continues below.
Here’s what else happened in court this week:
At least 16 Southern Californians have been charged in relation to protests that erupted after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out a number of sweeps for migrant workers. The state sued President Donald Trump over his deployment of thousands of National Guard members in Los Angeles. [Hillel Aron, Alan Riquelmy]
Greta: Legal experts say Israel acted illegally by seizing a British-flagged yacht carrying 12 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, sailing (legally) to challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. [Cain Burdeau]
Mahmoud: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil — then allowed his continued detention. [Erik Uebelacker]
Harvey: Jurors convicted Harvey Weinstein on one criminal sex charge at his Manhattan retrial. Deliberations got messy. [Erik Uebelacker]
Pam: The American Bar Association is not pleased about Attorney General Pam Bondi boxing it out of the federal judicial nominee selection process. [Benjamin S. Weiss]
Sean: Another of Diddy’s exes testified at his sex trafficking trial. Also, Kanye dropped in. [Josh Russell]
Me: States sued 23andMe over its plan to auction the personal genetic information of 15 million Americans without consent. [Joe Harris]
Top 8: What you’ve been reading
New York judge allows Trump to sue his own niece while in office
Robert Menendez makes last-minute bail push days before he’s set to report to prison
MyPillow CEO doubles down on ‘criminal’ election fraud claims in defamation trial
Rapper Lil Durk seeks pretrial release in murder-for-hire prosecution
Disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti gets nearly eight more years in prison at resentencing
Ex-New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez denied bail before prison surrender
Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Durk will remain jailed pending trial on murder-for-hire charges. [Edvard Pettersson]
Rulings on our radar 📡
» Southern District of New York: The Office of Personnel Management violated the Privacy Act and cybersecurity standards by giving data to DOGE employees.
» Western District of Texas: The court granted relief to a Venezuelan immigrant who had temporary protected status, but nevertheless was detained and removed under Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act.
» Western District of Pennsylvania: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet must face a former employee’s claim that she was offered more hours in exchange for sex, then fired for reporting the quid pro quo.
These “legal experts” you cited below are lying. Every country has the right to detain anyone attempting to illegally enter their country. The entire blockade of African immigrants in the Mediterranean is based upon that, with thousands of examples that none of these pretend “experts” ever objected to. Stop using out and proud antisemites as legal experts.
Greta: Legal experts say Israel acted illegally by seizing a British-flagged yacht carrying 12 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, sailing (legally) to challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. [Cain Burdeau]