A San Francisco company prosecutors likened to a sex cult, OneTaste, has mounted a campaign to court allies of President Trump as it seeks clemency for its two convicted leaders, CBS News reported. Founder and former CEO Nicole Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were convicted in 2025 of forced labor conspiracy; in late March a federal judge sentenced Daedone to nine years and Cherwitz to over six years in prison. OneTaste has submitted formal pardon applications to the Justice Department and is also pursuing informal outreach to people in Trump’s orbit.
Experts say the effort illustrates how pardon-seekers now navigate informal back channels to reach the president. NYU law professor Rachel Barkow, an executive clemency expert, told CBS News the outreach is “of a magnitude that I’ve never seen before,” and warned that ordinary petitioners without such connections face a broken process.
Prosecutors allege Daedone and Cherwitz ran an abusive scheme that coerced staff into performing traumatic and demeaning tasks, including sexual acts, for little or no pay. The defendants’ attorneys say OneTaste was a women’s-empowerment business and that members could leave at any time; appeals have been filed.
Well-known defense attorney Alan Dershowitz has advised OneTaste and told CBS News he later worked pro bono, arguing the indictment threatens religious practices and religious freedom. OneTaste also sought support from a range of MAGA-connected figures. According to sources and records reviewed by CBS News, outreach included former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who hosted coverage of the case on his One America News program and said no one appeared forced to continue participating; political consultant Roger Stone, who discussed the case on his podcast and called the conviction a constitutional concern; and mentions that OneTaste contacted Steve Bannon and influencer Laura Loomer (both of whom either declined comment or said they did not recall outreach).
MAGA-linked attorney Adam Katz, who previously worked on other pardon-related matters, sent a pre-conviction letter to the Justice Department asking for a review. OneTaste’s current CEO Anjuli Ayer has framed the campaign as a response to an “injustice,” saying supporters advocate not for money but because of what they see as a justice issue.
OneTaste has also mobilized allies with ties to the pardon review apparatus. Marcus Ratnathicam, a former OneTaste employee, engaged on social media with Mike Howell, a close ally of Ed Martin, the U.S. pardon attorney. Howell — who runs the Oversight Project and has publicly advocated for Daedone and Cherwitz — helped produce a report highlighting the case. Ratnathicam also briefed members of the House Judiciary Committee and discussed the case with groups including the Cato Institute and the ACLU, according to sources.
Cynthia Hughes, who runs the Patriot Freedom Project and has a close relationship with Martin, has been a prominent ally. Martin served on the board of Hughes’ nonprofit and received a stipend, per his government financial disclosure. Patriot Freedom Project’s “Weaponization Watch” has described the OneTaste prosecution as government “weaponization,” argued it targeted a voluntary sexual-wellness business, and posted commentary from Dershowitz and Stone. Hughes’ group also posted a video of Ayer criticizing the prosecution and invoking MAGA messaging.
Hughes has a history of advocating for pardon seekers, including Jan. 6 defendants, and her organization has claimed credit for helping secure a pardon last year for Michael McMahon. Visitor logs reviewed by CBS News show Hughes attended multiple meetings at the pardon office with Martin and other officials; Ayer and Ratnathicam attended at least two such meetings in January and February 2026. OneTaste told CBS News it has not paid Hughes or donated to Patriot Freedom Project.
The White House has said it maintains a “robust pardon review process” involving the White House counsel, the Department of Justice, and ultimately the president, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has warned that “anyone spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting their money.” Still, Trump’s second-term clemency record — which has included pardons and commutations for allies and for people who hired intermediaries in his orbit — has underscored the influence of informal advocacy networks.
Supporters argue OneTaste members participated voluntarily and that the prosecution sets a troubling precedent; critics note the convictions followed prosecutors’ findings of coercive and exploitative conduct. The company and its allies continue formal applications while pursuing high-level outreach to seek clemency for Daedone and Cherwitz.