An entrepreneur who promoted group “orgasmic meditation” as a road to women’s well-being turned herself in and pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of manipulating traumatized people into debt, undesired sex and underpaid work.federal forced labor conspiracy case
Prosecutors, however, say Daedone and former sales chief Rachel Cherwitz schemed to draw in people suffering from sexual trauma and turn them into unquestioning, cloistered followers who did their leaders’ bidding -– even if it meant having sex with prospective investors or clients, or taking out new credit cards in order to afford to keep taking courses.
OneTaste started in San Francisco, around 2005, as a sort of self-help commune that viewed female orgasms as key to sexual and psychological wellness and interpersonal connection. A centerpiece was “orgasmic meditation,” carried out by men manually stimulating women in a group setting. Daedone, now 56, sold her stake in OneTaste in 2017, according to the company. She remained at large when the indictment was unsealed, and Cherwitz was arrested last week. Daedone’s representatives say she was overseas and subsequently returned to her current home in New York City.