A San Francisco-based wellness company that prosecutors likened to a sex cult is lobbying allies of President Donald Trump in an effort to secure pardons for its two convicted leaders, according to federal court records and interviews.
OneTaste, a self-described “orgasmic meditation” company, is pursuing clemency for former CEO and founder Nicole Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz. In late March, a federal judge sentenced the two women to prison—nine years for Daedone and over six for Cherwitz—after their conviction in 2025 for forced labor conspiracy.
The organization has submitted pardon applications to the Justice Department for both women, taking the traditional clemency route. However, OneTaste has also courted figures in right-wing media and President Trump’s orbit, seemingly following a playbook for people who have won clemency in the past.
According to The New York Times, the group has sought legal advice from Alan Dershowitz, the defense lawyer who used his access to President Trump to win pardons and commutations during the president’s first term. In an interview, Dershowitz declined to say how much OneTaste was paying him, but said he was deeply troubled by the case and wanted to fight for Daedone and Cherwitz’s freedom.
“I’m worried that this is the kind of a prosecution that can easily be directed at other groups,” he said, citing religious groups that could be targeted for their beliefs.
OneTaste found common cause with Douglass Mackey, a conservative activist convicted of conspiracy against rights for sharing misleading memes before the 2016 election. His conviction was overturned by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year.
The company’s current CEO, Anjuli Ayer, called the sentencing “a terrifying day for freedom” and said her goal is to get justice for her friends. “If persuasion can be a crime and consent doesn’t matter, then no one is safe,” she told The Guardian.
At its height, OneTaste operated centers in cities including San Francisco, New York and Austin, Texas, offering sessions in its signature practice of orgasmic meditation—the ritual stroking of a woman’s clitoris for 15 minutes. At its peak, OneTaste had 300,000 members and established outposts in Los Angeles, New York, Austin and London. In 2017, Daedone sold OneTaste for $12 million to Ayer.
During their trial, federal prosecutors argued that Daedone and Cherwitz preyed on vulnerable women who sought solace in the wellness practice. Several former OneTaste members testified that they were forced to have sex with other members, including men who invested in the company, with threats of ostracization and loss of communal housing if they tried to leave or defy the group.
“This was exploitation masqueraded as empowerment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Fern told the judge on March 31.
One victim, a woman named Michal, spoke to the court Monday. She said that her 10 months with OneTaste left her sexually traumatized, riddled with debt and more depressed than she’d ever been. She added that the experience caused her to consider suicide more than once.
“I trusted Nicole,” Michal said. “In reality, I fell into Nicole’s trap. I was a perfect target because I was a vulnerable woman looking to improve my life.”
U.S. District Judge Dianne Gujarati acknowledged when handing down the sentence that Daedone committed a serious offense and was “the leader of a criminal enterprise.” The judge blasted both women’s lack of remorse for their actions, noting that even after getting convicted, Daedone continued to downplay the sweeping accusations she faced from ex-OneTaste members.
“Ms. Daedone exploited women in a calculated way and made money off that exploitation; she is not the victim here,” Gujarati said.
Daedone’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, rebuked the notion that she “targeted vulnerable people” as the government and witnesses claimed. Speaking to reporters outside of the courthouse, Bonjean said they intend to appeal Daedone’s conviction.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” Bonjean said when asked of a possible pardon. “I think it would be a good use of the pardon power, but that’s not my wheelhouse.”
Daedone was ordered to forfeit $12 million—the amount she sold OneTaste for in 2017—and owes an additional $887,000 to seven different victims.
OneTaste’s supporters argue that the FBI adopted “dangerous theories” about brainwashing into their official training despite the American Psychological Association and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom each formally rejecting the idea of brainwashing. Defense attorney Bonjean argued that the government had misused forced labor statutes and the charges had come “painfully close to criminalizing thoughts and beliefs.”
However, prosecutors have flatly rejected the notion of a prosecution targeted at OneTaste’s beliefs. During the government’s rebuttal argument at trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kayla Bensing said Daedone was “not on trial for her lectures.”
The appeal process is expected to take several months, while the pardon application remains pending with the Justice Department.
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