Marc Elliot
Born1985 (age 38–39)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Alma materWashington University in St. Louis
OccupationMotivational speaker

Marc Elliot (born 1985) is an American former motivational speaker and a loyal follower of Keith Raniere and his organization NXIVM, a purported self-improvement company which has been widely accused of being a criminal organization and a cult. Elliot has claimed the group helped him overcome Tourette syndrome.[1] Since Raniere was sentenced to 120 years for racketeering and other crimes, Elliot has advocated for the conviction to be overturned.

Life and career

Elliot was born in 1985 in St. Louis.[2] He was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease, a rare intestinal disease, at birth.[2] A series of operations for the same left him with only 4 feet of small intestines.[1] Elliot claims that he was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome at the age of 9.[3]

On August 11, 2002, sixteen-year-old Elliot was returning home from camp via Greyhound bus when he repeatedly shouted an anti-black racial slur at black passengers.[4] While the driver was aware of his condition, Elliot was ejected from the bus. The incident was covered by local news station WTHR.[5]

Elliot made his first presentation at Clayton High School.[2] In 2008, Elliot graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

After graduation, Elliot began a career as a motivational speaker. [1] In 2011, Campus Magazine named Elliot the winner of the best speaker and best diversity artist of the year.[6] In 2013, Elliot self-published What Makes You Tic? My Journey From Tourette's To Tolerance.[7][8]

Role in NXIVM

In 2010, Elliot was recruited into Executive Success Programs (ESP), a self-help program founded by Keith Raniere, leader of the pseudoscientific NXIVM movement, which has been described as a cult and a criminal organization.[9][10][11][12]

By 2011, Elliot begain claiming that NXIVM had taught him to "overcome" Tourettes.[13][14] By 2014, Elliot had discontinued his public speaking tour in order to focus full-time on being a 'proctor' in NXIVM.[15] Also in 2014, Elliot married Canadian NXIVM member Maja Miljkovic to help obtain a work visa for her; The marriage ended following an investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.[16]

Tourettes 'study'

From 2010 and 2017, NXIVM member and medical doctor Brandon Porter performed unlicensed "human subject research" on more than 200 "subjects" across a variety of projects. Elliot was involved with one project Porter oversaw, which sought to treat Tourette's. From 2015 to 2018, Elliot produced and starred in a film promoting NXIVM techniques for Tourette's; It was released in 2018 under the title My Tourettes.[17][18] In 2019, Porter's medical license was revoked for violation of 40 state and federal regulations, including his role overseeing "research".[19][20][21] Prosecutors from the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York in the Bronfmann case wrote, "the participants in this 'study' have expressed significant distress at their involvement" and offered one victim impact statement from a study participant who said that the study "did nothing for me except ruin my self-esteem, ruin my mental health, and made me hate myself. It did not cure my Tourette’s in any way."[22]

Post-conviction advocacy for Raniere

In 2018, the leadership of NXIVM was arrested and later convicted of sex trafficking, forced labor and racketeering. Allegations of visa fraud, identity theft, and human trafficking were central to the Department of Justice's RICO Act case.[23] Raniere was sentenced to 120 years imprisonment.

In 2020 Elliot helped form "Make Justice Blind", an organization of loyal Raniere followers; The group is offering a monetary challenge to exonerate Raniere on both his sex trafficking and forced labor charges.[24] In September 2020, Elliot spoke out in defense of Raniere in an interview with CBS News This Morning.[25] In February 2023, Elliot appeared on the H3 Podcast, presented by Ethan Klein of h3h3Productions to defend Raniere. Klein, who himself is diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, accused Elliot of faking his Tourette's, and disputed Elliot's claims of Raniere's innocence.[26]

In October 2021, Elliot filed a $12 million lawsuit against Lions Gate Entertainment, alleging the Starz network documentary series Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult libelled and defamed him.[27] In November 2022, the court dismissed the lawsuit and granted Lions Gate Entertainment's request for attorneys' fees and costs. The judge found that the documentary did "imply that Plaintiff was a devoted member of an organization whose leader has been implicated in a range of serious sexual crimes, but this assertion – however unflattering – is substantially true."[28]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "MarcElliot | WUSTL Magazine | Washington University in St. Louis". Magazine.wustl.edu. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Motivational speaker uses his struggles to inspire others - St. Louis Jewish Light: Ohr Chadash - Motivational speaker uses his struggles to inspire others: Ohr Chadash". Stljewishlight.com. 2013-01-12. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  3. ↑ "Tics, compulsions and tolerance: Young man faces Tourette Syndrome with humor and openness - The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle". Jewishchronicle.org. 2009-02-18. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  4. ↑ "The Indianapolis Star 21 Sep 2002, page Page 19". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  5. ↑ "Racial slurs force Greyhound officials to remove a passenger from a bus - 13 WTHR Indianapolis". Wthr.com. 2013-01-02. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  6. ↑ "Articles". Campus Activities Magazine. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  7. ↑ Elliot, Marc (2011). What Makes You Tic?: My Journey From Tourette's To Tolerance: Marc Elliot: 9780615556758: Amazon.com: Books. Let Live Pub. ISBN 978-0615556758.
  8. ↑ https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/elliot-lawsuit.pdf
  9. ↑ https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/elliot-lawsuit.pdf
  10. ↑ Hong, Nicole; Piccoli, Sean (2020-10-27). "Keith Raniere, Leader of Nxivm Sex Cult, Is Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-07. Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn determined the punishment after hearing hours of wrenching testimony from 15 victims, many of whom described how Mr. Raniere had left them traumatized and brainwashed from his pseudoscientific teachings.
  11. ↑ Hess, Amanda (2020-09-14). "Nxivm Had a Cult Leader Made for the Internet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  12. ↑ Kranc, Lauren (2020-10-27). "NXIVM Vanguard Keith Raniere Has Been Sentenced to 120 Years in Prison". Esquire. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  13. ↑ https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/elliot-lawsuit.pdf
  14. ↑ Dickson, EJ (August 21, 2020). "How HBO's 'The Vow' Tells the Non-Sex-Cult Side of NXIVM". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ https://frankreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/elliot-lawsuit.pdf
  16. ↑ Berman, Sarah (2021). Don't Call it a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM. Penguin. p. 198. ISBN 9781586422752.
  17. ↑ Berman, Sarah (May 1, 2018). "I Tried to Make Sense of the Alleged Sex Cult NXIVM's Bizarre Health Claims". Vice. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  18. ↑ Molatore, Alessandro (2018-03-04), My Tourette's (Documentary), Truth Films, retrieved 2022-06-07
  19. ↑ "Doctor tied to NXIVM sex cult has medical license revoked". NBC News. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  20. ↑ "RE: In the Matter of Brandon Porter, M.D." New York State Department of Health. 2019-08-20. Archived from the original on 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  21. ↑ Lyons, Brendan J. (2019-08-22). "NXIVM doctor who conducted brain studies loses license". Times Union. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  22. ↑ "The Government's Sentencing Memorandum as to Defendant Clare Bronfman" (PDF), United States of America v. Keith Raniere (Court Filing), E.D.N.Y., vol. No. 1:18-cr-00204, no. Docket 922, 2020-09-14, retrieved 2022-06-07 – via Recap (PACER current docket viewPaid subscription required)
  23. ↑ "NXIVM Executive Board Member Clare Bronfman Sentenced to 81 Months in Prison for Identity Theft and Immigration Offenses". www.justice.gov. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  24. ↑ "Make Justice Blind". Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  25. ↑ Battiste, Nikki; Luibrand, Shannon; Hoenmeyer, Lauren (September 29, 2020). "Some supporters of Keith Raniere, ex-leader of alleged cult NXIVM, keep fighting for him". CBS News. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  26. ↑ "YouTube Host Ethan Klein Accuses Guest Marc Elliot of Faking Tourette's, 750,000 Views in Two Days". 23 February 2023.
  27. ↑ Gavin, Robert (2021-10-20). "NXIVM loyalist files $12 million suit against Starz network". Times Union. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  28. ↑ "Order Granting Defendants' Motion to Strike Pursuant to C.C.P. § 425.16" (PDF), Marc Elliot v. Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (Court Filing), C.D.C.A., vol. No. 2:21-cv-08206, no. Docket 49, 2022-11-08, retrieved 2022-11-12 – via Recap (PACER current docket viewPaid subscription required)
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