OneTaste Leaders Convicted Federal Forced Labor Brooklyn

Nicole Daedone, founder of the sexual wellness company OneTaste Inc., and Rachel Cherwitz, the company's former sales director, were convicted by a Brooklyn jury of forced labor conspiracy in a rare federal case. Prosecutors argued that the women ran a yearslong scheme that groomed victims, many with histories of sexual trauma, to perform sexual acts, including with investors or clients, under coercion masked as spiritual or sexual liberation. The defendants allegedly used economic, psychological, and sexual abuse to manipulate members into working without pay and even forced some to take on debt to continue paying for company courses. Daedone's defense characterized her as a feminist entrepreneur focused on women's empowerment, while Cherwitz's lawyer claimed witnesses were not coerced and left the organization voluntarily if dissatisfied. The trial highlighted OneTaste's controversial practice of "orgasmic meditation," which was promoted as a path to spiritual and sexual wellness but was deemed by prosecutors as a tool for exploitation. Both women face up to 20 years in prison, and Cherwitz's legal team announced plans to appeal the verdict.