(CNN) A federal lawsuit in New York accuses Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and 14 associates of conducting illegal psychological experiments on members of the self-help company and systematically abusing them physically, emotionally and financially.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Brooklyn Tuesday by more than 80 alleged victims seeking financial relief and a jury trial. Nxivm and its entities are also listed in the lawsuit.

The 192-page lawsuit suit accuses Nxivm leadership of conspiring to operate a criminal enterprise under the company umbrella. The defendants allegedly committed "sex trafficking, peonage, forced labor and human trafficking offenses" while enticing members to join a company that "functioned as both a Ponzi scheme and a coercive community," according to the lawsuit.

Nxivm touted itself as a coaching and educational business for corporations and individuals, but prosecutors say in the lawsuit that the company actually acted as a multilevel marketing pyramid scheme with a secret society involved in things like sex trafficking and "master-slave relationships."

Raniere, 59, was found guilty in 2019 of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking. He has been in federal custody in Brooklyn since his arrest in Mexico in 2018. He could be sentenced to life in prison, though it's unclear when the sentencing may happen in that case.

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