Women in NXIVM 'cult' detail life after 'The Vow' — and it's not what you think

wonderwall.com:

sentenced to three years in prison on racketeering charges for her role within the organization.Via shows like HBO's "The Vow" and Starz's "Seduced," Keith's case soon took on a life of its own, as the word "cult" was thrown around leisurely, and viewers heard salacious stories about DOS, which some former members deemed nothing more than a secret sex club created to fulfill Keith's desires and boost his ego by branding women with his initials.

However, five years after NXIVM — and by default, DOS — disbanded, several women within the secret society spoke to Wonderwall.com about life within the invite-only group, and they maintain that it was about female empowerment, solidarity and love.MORE: The craziest celebrity conspiracy theoriesIn addition, they all insist that they are not Keith's victims but rather victims of the response to NXIVM.Nicki Clyne, who gained fame as Cally Henderson on "Battlestar Galactica" in the mid-2000s, has lost friends and jobs due to her involvement in ESP and loyalty to Keith.

She and several NXIVM loyalists are also named as defendants in a civil lawsuit brought on by former group members who claim the whole thing was essentially a pyramid scheme."I'm a victim of tremendous prejudice because at the end of the day," the former actress says, "I've done nothing wrong and yet I get attacked regularly.

I've lost friends, I've lost career opportunities, I'm being sued because I won't adhere to this narrative that, you know, NXIVM was all bad, Keith is a monster and I'm a victim." In a legal response to the lawsuit, she argued that her name was only listed for "window dressing."MORE: Controversial celebrity marriagesLinda Chung, a highly educated former lawyer who was involved in ESP for more than.