Earlier today, a federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz of forced labor conspiracy. Daedone, the founder and former CEO of OneTaste, Inc., along with Cherwitz, the company's former head of sales, were found guilty of coercing certain employees into providing labor and services through economic, sexual, emotional, financial, and psychological abuse. The trial lasted five weeks under United States District Judge Diane Gujarati. Both defendants face up to 20 years in prison upon sentencing.
The verdict was announced by Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Christopher G. Raia from the FBI's New York Field Office. "The jury’s verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment," stated Nocella. He praised the witnesses who testified despite their traumatic experiences.
Raia added that "Today's verdict sends a clear message—controlling your labor force by relying on lies, manipulation, and abuse is a crime." He emphasized that victims were misled into believing they would receive healing but instead faced various forms of abuse for OneTaste's financial gain.
OneTaste was founded by Daedone in 2004 as a sexual wellness education company based in San Francisco with operations in multiple cities including New York and London. It offered courses on "orgasmic mediation" (OM) among other practices for a fee.
Between 2006 and May 2018, Daedone and Cherwitz coerced young women seeking healing into performing labor for their benefit. The company claimed its teachings could heal past trauma but used manipulative tactics to control members emotionally and psychologically. This included encouraging debt accumulation to finance expensive courses and subjecting members to surveillance.
Daedone sold OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million after building it on coerced labor. Witnesses testified about being forced into degrading acts under threat from Daedone and Cherwitz.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kayla C. Bensing, Kaitlin T. Farrell, Nina C. Gupta, Sean Michael Fern with support from Paralegal Specialists Liam McNett and Marlane Bosler.
Nicole Daedone is aged 57 from New York City while Rachel Cherwitz is aged 44 from Philo, California.
