Clare Bronfman, the Seagram liquor heiress who has been accused of using more than $100 million to fund Keith Raniere’s alleged sex cult, NXIVM, has pleaded guilty in a racketeering case against the organization.
Bronfman, 40, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday to conspiracy to conceal and harbour people in the U.S. illegally and fraudulent use of identification, CNN reports.
NXIVM was an Albany-based organization run by Raniere and Nancy Salzman that offered personal and professional development with its “Executive Success Programs.” Some women, however, were allegedly recruited into a secret group, DOS, where they were branded and coerced into having sex with Raniere.
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Bronfman, who will be sentenced on July 25, was a member of NXIVM’s executive board, according to the U.S. Justice Department, and faces between 21 and 27 months in prison.
“I am truly remorseful,” Bronfman told Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, per the New York Times. “I wanted to do good in the world.”
Six people in total have been accused of being involved with NXIVM, including Smallville actor Allison Mack, who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges on April 8. Salzman also pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in the case in March, and NXIVM’s former bookkeeper, Kathy Russell, pleaded guilty to one count of visa fraud on Friday. Raniere, the suspected leader, is set to go on trial next month, per the BBC.
Former members of NXIVM who have claimed they were subject to sex trafficking and diet control will reveal their experiences in an upcoming HBO documentary on the organization.
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