Leaders of ‘orgasmic meditation’ company OneTaste found guilty in forced labor scheme

What is OneTaste?

OneTaste was a privately held company that was founded by Daedone in 2004, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The company was based in San Francisco but also operated in other major cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Austin, Texas, and London.Prosecutors said OneTaste promoted and branded itself as a sexuality-focused wellness education company for women. From around 2004 to 2018, prosecutors said the company generated revenue by offering courses, coaching, and events “related to so-called wellness practices” in exchange for a fee.

The company also “offered hands-on classes on ‘orgasmic mediation’ (OM), which involved stroking a woman’s genitals for 15 minutes,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said many OneTaste members lived in warehouses that were leased by the company. At these warehouses, members participated in courses and experimented sexually, according to prosecutors.

Daedone was the leader and CEO of OneTaste until around 2017, when she sold the company for $12 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Cherwitz was the company’s head of sales from around 2009 through 2018.

The company was the subject of Netflix’s 2022 documentary “Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste,” which followed its rise and controversies surrounding the company. The documentary also included interviews with former members.OneTaste was not a defendant in the case and previously said it cooperated with the investigation. The company now operates as the Institute of OM Foundation, and its current owners have said the charges against its former executives were unjustified, according to Reuters.Prosecutors: OneTaste leaders used ‘abusive and manipulative tactics’

Prosecutors accused Daedone and Cherwitz of using “abusive and manipulative tactics” to control OneTaste members. These tactics were designed to make members emotionally and psychologically dependent on the company, prosecutors said.

Between 2006 and 2018, prosecutors said Daedone and Cherwitz coerced young women who had “turned to OneTaste for healing and spirituality” into performing labor for them. The work included manual labor and sexual services.

According to the indictment, the former executives encouraged their members to incur debt by opening lines of credit to pay for expensive courses. OneTaste courses each ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, prosecutors said.”Once they had secured the loyalty and indebtedness of certain OneTaste members, Daedone and Cherwitz engaged in abusive employment practices,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, adding that members worked long hours seven days per week with little or no pay.

Prosecutors said Daedone and Cherwitz subjected their members to sexual abuse and surveillance in communal homes. The two women also deprived members of sleep and collected sensitive information regarding previous trauma and sexual histories, according to prosecutors.

“They isolated the OneTaste members from their support networks by breaking up established relationships and assigning them to move to new locations on short notice,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “While employing such tactics, Daedone and Cherwitz demanded absolute commitment to Daedone, including by exalting Daedone’s teachings and ideology.”

During the trial, prosecutors said three witnesses testified that they were pressured into becoming a “handler” for OneTaste’s initial investor, who was also Daedone’s boyfriend. The witnesses said they were forced to live with him, cook for him, and “perform demeaning sex acts at his direction,” according to prosecutors.Other witnesses testified that they were coerced into participating in sexual acts with the company’s potential clients and investors, prosecutors said. The witnesses said Daedone and Cherwitz had threatened them with termination, demotion, ostracism, and financial and spiritual ruin.