The leaders of the controversial wellness company, OneTaste have been found guilty of grooming employees to perform sexual acts on clients and investors.
Nicole Daedone, 57, founder of OneTaste, and Rachel Cherwitz, 44, the former head of sales, were convicted Monday in Brooklyn federal court after a four-week trial.
Prosecutors argued the duo orchestrated a decade-long campaign of coercion, manipulation, and sexual abuse.
Nine former OneTaste employees testified, describing the company’s cult-like atmosphere, where Daedone and Cherwitz allegedly exploited their authority to compel staff into a range of sexual acts under the guise of wellness and empowerment.
“These nine victims provided labor and services for what spanned more than a decade — from menial tasks to sex acts,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta during closing arguments.
Daedone and Cherwitz now face up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor, following 12.5 hours of jury deliberation over two days.
The verdict marks a dramatic downfall for the women who once promoted “orgasmic meditation” — a practice that involved group sexual sessions and gained high-profile attention, including from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website.
A series of exposés — including a Netflix documentary titled Orgasm Inc.: The Story of OneTaste — revealed that employees were pressured to flirt with and have sex with potential clients.
Prosecutors accused the founders of exploiting trauma survivors by promising healing through sex, ultimately forcing them into unpaid labor and sex work.
In one disturbing case, Cherwitz allegedly instructed a rape survivor to “reenact” her assault in front of an audience, performing oral sex while being told “I love you,” echoing what her attacker once said.
“The goal,” Gupta said, “was to move from revulsion to turn-on.”
The company, founded in San Francisco in 2004, expanded to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver. It operated under the banner of female empowerment and wellness but, according to prosecutors, concealed a dark inner culture.
OneTaste used terms like “muggles” and “Fourth Dimension” to create an us-versus-them mentality. Prosecutors noted that Daedone herself once referred to the group as a “sex cult.”
Behind closed doors, young women were allegedly directed to perform sex acts for VIP clients. Victims, many with prior trauma, were manipulated into joining the organization, pushed into debt, and pressured into sexual servitude, federal authorities said.
Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors convinced members to reinterpret past experiences as abuse.
“The government tried to shock you about sex, orgasm, forced conduct,” said Celia Cohen, Cherwitz’s lawyer. “But not a single witness reported a crime at the time — no police report, no call to the FBI, nothing.”
However, the jury disagreed.
“The jury’s verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. “They made hollow promises of sexual empowerment while manipulating people for their own gain.”
Attorneys for Daedone and Cherwitz said they will appeal the decision.
“We maintain our clients’ innocence and look forward to continuing this fight on appeal,” said attorneys Celia Cohen, Michael Robotti, and Jennifer Bonjean in a joint statement. “This case raised novel and complex legal issues that require review by the Second Circuit. We are inspired by Nicole and Rachel’s strength throughout this process.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
