The founder of sexual health education startup OneTaste has been accused of involvement in a years-long plot to manipulate victims of past sexual trauma and assault into forced labor.
OneTaste founder Nicole Didon, who was also the company’s CEO, was charged Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York. OneTaste’s former head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, has also been charged. According to the government, Didon and Schirwitz claimed they could help those suffering from past sexual trauma or abuse, but instead manipulated their victims into debt.
“Under the guise of empowerment and wellness, the defendants allegedly sought total control over the lives of their employees, including driving them into debt and directing them to perform sexual acts while also withholding wages,” said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Bryon Pace. a permit.
Cherwitz is arrested in San Francisco while Didon is not in custody. James Gatta, the attorney who previously represented Cherwitz, said she will hold a hearing Wednesday in California. Didon’s attorney, Reed Weingarten, did not immediately respond to emails and voicemails seeking comment. If convicted of conspiracy, each woman faces up to 20 years in prison.
In a statement released on Tuesday, OneTaste’s current CEO Anjuli Iyer called the charges against Didon and Cherwitz “completely unjustified” and said: “We remain undeterred even as we commit to fully defending ourselves and our life-altering practices, in the face of a multiple media campaign.” the years “.
Daedone founded OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004. The company offers courses in orgasmic meditation, or OM, which has been trademarked and marketed to both men and women as a way to help them get in touch with their desire and sexuality. Courses ranged from all-day introductory classes to intensive retreats that lasted a week or more and could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Many students also paid for months-long programs that trained them to be OM coaches. Applicants and company employees often lived together in group housing in San Francisco, New York, and other cities.
At its peak in the mid-2010s, OneTaste had outposts in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, and other cities globally. Cherwitz ran the company’s sales operations for several years. The company said it generated $12 million in revenue in 2017.
In 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek published a dossier investigation On OneTaste’s hiring practices. Former employees described previously unreported allegations of labor abuse and pressure to have sex with or OM clients. The company has stopped offering its courses. Didon had sold her shares in the company the previous year, and Cherwitz resigned from her role in the company weeks before publication. Later in 2018, Bloomberg mentioned that FBI agents were questioning the former employees about their time at OneTaste.
Didon and Schirwitz “deployed a series of abusive and manipulative tactics” to obtain the work and services of a group of OneTaste members, according to the peace organization. These people were volunteers, contractors, and employees who had experienced trauma and believed Didon and Schirwitz’ promises to “cure” them.
If members could not afford OneTaste courses, Didon and Scherwitz allegedly goaded OneTaste members into debt, sometimes directly helping them open new credit cards.