Over the next two decades, von Mierers drew Richards into one of the most unlikely and revealing cult stories of the late 20th century. A self-styled prophet who claimed to have traveled to Earth from the distant star Arcturus, von Mierers recruited models, young professionals, and New York socialites into a group he called Eternal Values—drawing them in through charisma, flattery, and the promise of spiritual purpose, then holding them through psychological pressure, public humiliation, and escalating demands for total loyalty. Richards, meanwhile, became one of the most photographed male models of his generation, appearing in campaigns for Versace, Valentino, and Ralph Lauren and working with Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton. He also gave the group millions of dollars from his earnings and nearly 20 years of his life.
Vanity Fair brought the story to light in 1990 with its definitive account of Eternal Values. Von Mierers died of AIDS-related complications days before the article ran, never fully confronting what that exposure would have meant. The group relocated and slowly unraveled; Richards finally walked away in 1999.
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