• Secret agent Schmuck 
Chris Thompson, Village Voice (New York) While working as a computer programmer in the late 1980s, [NXIVM Corporation founder Keith] Raniere became a devotee of Ayn Rand and soon was convinced that self-interest was the apogee of ethical behavior. Setting up a company called Consumer Buyline, he allegedly hawked memberships in a nonexistent discount-consumer-goods club, wowed crowds with his extraordinary charisma, and promised lucrative commissions for members who recruited more customers into the group.   Published: 2007-10-23