Barbara Jeske

Barbara Jeske appeared in witness testimony as a deceased NXIVM senior counselor, sales-force trainer and close confidante of Keith Raniere. Her photograph was identified as Government Exhibit 31. Lauren Salzman placed Jeske in Raniere's informal inner circle and identified her and Pam Cafritz as purple-sash senior counselors. Daniela also described Jeske leading a breakout discussion during an ESP intensive and bringing up Daniela's theft of money before other participants. Daniela said the disclosure left her feeling exposed.

Jeske's longstanding intimate relationship with Raniere arose in testimony about his relationships with women in the community. One witness recounted Raniere describing Jeske's death as being like losing his wife. During cross-examination, Salzman agreed that the relationship had continued until Jeske's death but challenged the suggestion that Raniere had remained actively involved. She testified that he interacted little with Jeske in her final years and almost never visited during her illness, distinguishing his refusal to formally end the relationship from ongoing companionship.