Bay Area Sexual Wellness Company Executives Get Prison In Forced Labor Conspiracy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Two former executives of a sexual wellness company that was the subject of a Netflix documentary and book accusing it of being a cult have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a long-running conspiracy to get free labor from young women, prosecutors said.

One Taste was a San Francisco-based company that offered classes where woman touched their genitals for 15 minutes under the guise of "orgasmic meditation."

During this time, its executives, including Founder and CEO Nicole Daedone, 58, along with former OneTaste Head of Sales, Rachel Cherwitz, 45, ran a decades-long scheme where they preyed on young women, sexually exploited them and used them for unpaid labor, according to the United States District Attorney's Office.

The victims had turned to OneTaste seeking "healing and spiritual growth," as the company advertised its teaching could help heal past sexual trauma and dysfunction, prosecutors said.

Instead, Daedone and Cherwitz subjected the women to sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, making them dependent on OneTaste, prosecutors said.

The OneTaste executives also encouraged the woman to take on debt by opening lines of credit to finance classes at the company, surveilling them in communal homes and depriving them of sleep, prosecutors said.

Once in the clutches of OneTaste, the women were made to work long hours, often seven days per week, for little to no pay, prosecutors said.

During some instances, the executives pimped the women out to then-current and prospective investors, clients, and employees for the company’s financial benefit, according to prosecutors.

During a five-week trial in June 2025, three witnesses testified that Daedone required them to live with her boyfriend, do chores for him and have sex with him whenever he wanted, according to prosecutors.

Other witnesses testified that they were told they'd be fired, demoted, ostracized or financially and spiritually ruined if they didn't do what was asked of them, authorities said.

Daedone sold OneTaste in 2017 for $12 million, prosecutors said.

On Monday, Daedone was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of forced labor conspiracy, prosecutors said. Cherwitz, who was also convicted for the same crime, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, prosecutors said.

"Coercion disguised as wellness or empowerment is still exploitation and it is a crime that causes harm to vulnerable victims," United States Attorney Joseph Nocella. Jr. said. "The defendants’ combination of forced labor with sexual exploitation caused trauma to the victims in ways that extend beyond lost wages or long hours."

Netflix produced a documentary on One Taste in 2022, revealing its rise to fame before allegations of sexual abuse surfaced.

Empire of Orgasm, a novel published by investigative journalist Ellen Huet, also provides more detail about the company's behind-the-scenes practices, describing it as a "cult."

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