Placido Domingo Tied to Argentinian Cult

This story has certainly gone under the radar.  Opera star Placido Domingo’s name has cropped up in an investigation of an Argentinian cult with offices in Las Vegas, Chicago and New York.  Its leaders have been charged with crimes, including sexual exploitation. Domingo, the Spanish opera singer who has faced accusations of sexual harassment from numerous women over the past three years, has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the Argentina case.

“Placido didn’t commit a crime, nor is he part of the organization, but rather he was a consumer of prostitution,” said a law enforcement official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the investigation continues. Prostitution is legal in Argentina.

Law enforcement officers carried out dozens of raids in Buenos Aires targeting the Buenos Aires Yoga School, which “built a cult around its leader” and reduced members to “a situation of slavery and/or sexual exploitation,” according to prosecutors.  19 people have been detained in Argentina, while at least three suspects are thought to remain at large inside the South American country and four are being sought in the United States.

Sexual trafficking and exploitation were the main sources of income for the group that had an estimated revenue of around $500,000 per month, according to the judicial official.  The Buenos Aires Yoga School had numerous groups of women who were forced to maintain sexual encounters in exchange for money, prosecutors allege. At least seven women were incorporated into the group when they were still children or teenagers and were sexually exploited, according to the prosecution’s documents.

People came from the United States to Argentina to have sex with the women and investigators say women were also transported to neighboring Uruguay and the U.S. for sexual encounters. “The encounters supposed a practice of sexual slavery because the ‘students’ were put at the disposal of the clients at the time and place they wanted, for long periods of time,” according to the documents.

The organization had approximately 179 students, all of whom were ranked in seven levels. Advancing levels involved a “spiritual evolution” with the goal of reaching the seventh level that implied “eternal reincarnation.”  In order to advance, members had to participate in numerous courses and carry out tasks, with Percowicz holding the final decision on who could advance. The process involved socially isolating the members from their “biological family” and friends, according to the charging documents.

Domingo’s image was tarnished in the United States after more than 20 women accused him, in stories published by The Associated Press, of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior in encounters that took place from the late 1980s to the 2000s. Dozens more in the classical music world told AP his behavior was an open secret in the industry. Investigations by the American Guild of Musical Artists and the Los Angeles Opera, where Domingo had served as general director, found sexual harassment allegations against him to be credible.