NEW YORK — To Keith Raniere, they were virtually "perfect humans" possessing the "masculine qualities" for what he billed as an empowerment group for Asian women.

What they did not know was the NXIVM leader had a hidden agenda in their recruitment: He sought them for sex.

And they were not alone.

A recently filed federal lawsuit in Brooklyn against Raniere and 14 of his associates revealed that Raniere created a special group within his cult-like NXIVM organization to try to attract Asian women – and another group to lure young women in sororities.

Raniere, now 59, known within the organization as “Vanguard," and his inner circle launched a group called “One Asian” which recruited more than 100 women into the supposed women’s empowerment group. The women traveled to the Capital Region to meet with Raniere, formerly of Halfmoon, who offered to help them start a new company and become their mentor, the lawsuit said.

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“ ‘One Asian’ offered a special curriculum that Raniere tailored to what he characterized as women raised with more ‘masculine values’ than Western women,” the lawsuit said. “According to Raniere, this combination of female genetics and ‘masculine attributes,’ such as discipline and self-denial, made them virtually ‘perfect humans,’ who needed special adjustments to the ESP curriculum to maximize the benefit” — a reference to Executive Success Programs, NXIVM's primary self-improvement program.

The women were “all chosen because, in addition to their leadership potential, and unknown to the women, they met Raniere’s criteria for potentially suitable sexual partners,” states the federal lawsuit filed Jan. 28 in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

More than 80 victims of Raniere and NXIVM are suing the disgraced personal growth guru, who was convicted in June 2019 of sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and racketeering charges. He faces the possibility of life in prison when sentenced April 16 by Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis. The lawsuit named Raniere, former NXIVM president Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren Salzman; Seagrams’ liquor fortune heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman; actress Allison Mack and others, including several of the organization's subsidiaries.

One of the plaintiffs, a Canadian woman chosen to lead One Asian, was required to call Raniere daily and frequently summoned to meet with him in the Albany area at meetings that did not start until 1 a.m. and lasted hours, the lawsuit said.

When she arrived in Albany, he greeted her with kisses on the lips, held her hand and pressured her to move to the Capital Region so they could have a romantic relationship, the court document stated.

The lawsuit also said Raniere’s acolytes pressured the woman. Clare Bronfman allegedly told the woman that her biggest obstacle in life was having “too many options.” Moving to Albany to work more closely with Raniere, Bronfman suggested, would help her focus on her growth.

During one meeting, the woman stayed at Mack's home in the Knox Woods townhouse development. Mack told the woman that sex was “no big deal” and that it was “just like playing tennis,” the lawsuit also noted.

The lawsuit said the pressure to move to Albany became “overwhelming” for the woman, who decided she could no longer meet with Raniere and his inner circle. She left organization six months later, around the same time One Asian ceased operations.

The college sorority effort, called "TEN C," was a precursor to Raniere's secret “master/slave” group, the lawsuit said. Raniere's name for the group was allegedly based on a lewd nickname equating himself to an emperor.

"Privately, with sexual partners, Raniere referred to himself as 'TEN C,' which stood for 'The Emperor has No Clothes,'" the suit said.

Raniere and several senior NXIVM members including Nancy Salzman, Mack and Nicki Clyne — another TV actress who fell into NXIVM — created "TEN C," which was "aimed at procuring young women from college sororities for Raniere," the lawsuit said.

The document stated the women were promised opportunities to build character through NXIVM training, develop a sisterhood under the mentorship of Mack, Raniere and Clyne, and have jobs working at a T-shirt company owned by Raniere and Clare Bronfman.

"Ultimately, this effort to procure young women for Raniere failed," the lawsuit said. "Subsequently, Mack and Clyne created and ran DOS with Raniere."

DOS, short for Dominus Obsequious Sororium, was the name of Raniere's secret master/slave group. The group required its members to be "slaves" who pledged obedience to their "masters," all of whom ultimately answered to Raniere, the "grandmaster" and only male member. He demanded DOS slaves live on 500-calorie-a-day diets and respond to group text messages at all hours of the night for so-called "readiness" drills. Several were branded with a cauterizing tool in their pelvic area with a symbol that included Raniere's initials.

The existence of the groups were among many details included in the lawsuit, filed by Philadelphia attorney Neil Glazer and Washington attorney Aitan Goelman, was first reported by the Times Union on Jan. 28.

It said NXIVM engaged in sex trafficking, "peonage" — a legal term that refers to workers forced into servitude — human trafficking, running a Ponzi scheme and more.

"Raniere and his Inner Circle also frequently tested longstanding members of the community, sometimes with extreme demands like licking a mud puddle, running head-first into a tree, or becoming somebody’s 'slave,' " the lawsuit alleges.

Raniere's attorneys did not return a request for comment.