Alleged New York cult leader appears in Texas court

The leader of a secretive group in upstate New York who allegedly coerced female followers into having sex with him and getting branded with his initials has appeared in federal court in Texas.

Sporting a blue t-shirt, close-cropped gray beard, dark-rimmed glasses and chains, Keith Raniere waived his right to an identification hearing during Tuesday’s court appearance in Fort Worth.

Raniere, who is accused by some former members of leading a cult, was arrested in Mexico and returned to Texas on Monday on charges of sex trafficking and forced labor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cureton granted Raniere’s request Tuesday to have his preliminary and detention hearings take place in the court prosecuting him in the Eastern District of New York.

Cureton ordered him taken into custody by U.S. Marshals for transfer to New York. Laura Vega, a spokeswoman for the agency, says Raniere will be moved sometime in the next two weeks.