By: Mike Mustiglione
Sentencing for Clare Bronfman has been delayed – and she may be getting even more jail time than recommended.
On Thursday, a federal judge in Brooklyn told lawyers for the Seagram heiress and Nxivm financier that sentencing won’t take place on January 8th as previously announced. It has been moved to February 14.
The kicker was that while Bronfman had been recommended for between 21 and 27 months in jail, that time may be extended by Judge Nicholas Garaufis.
“Bronfman pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to harbor immigrants for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification,” The New York Post reported. “Garaufis did not provide an explanation as to why he is considering a harsher sentence for Bronfman, although he has discretion under the law to give her up to 25 years in prison.”
Bronfman “used her family’s wealth to fund the upstate cult run by a depraved leader, Keith Raniere, who branded women and treated them as sex slaves,” according to the New York Daily News. “Garufis delayed the sentencing to Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day. A substantial number of victims may speak at the hearing.”
“The government has been in contact with a significant number of victims who would like to be heard at the defendants’ upcoming sentencing,” noted Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar.
“The defense has already received 25 pages of victim impact statements. Bronfman, who said in August she wants to complete her high school diploma, paid a $6 million forfeiture,” added the Daily News.
NXIVM, self-described as an American multi-level marketing company based near Albany, offered personal- and professional-development seminars through its “Executive Success Programs”. The company has been described as a cult, and has also been alleged to be a recruiting platform for a secret society (variously called “DOS” or “The Vow”) in which women were branded and forced into sexual slavery.
In early 2018 NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his associate, actress Allison Mack, were arrested and indicted on federal charges related to DOS, including sex trafficking. Others associated with NXIVM were also charged with federal crimes. Five people associated with NXIVM—Mack, NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman, Lauren Salzman, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy Russell—had pleaded guilty to various charges.
Through NXIVM founder Raniere and her sister Sara, Bronfman became involved in NXIVM’s personal advancement program and “Executive Success Program” (“ESP”) workshops, according to Wikipedia. “The sisters became committed followers and financial backers of NXIVM and Raniere, relocating to upstate New York to work as NXIVM trainers. Clare Bronfman also served as event coordinator for “Vanguard Week,” an annual festival celebrating Raniere’s birthday, stating that “the purpose of ‘V Week’ is to get the chance to experience a civilized world… [and] craft for ourselves a more fulfilling, purposeful life.”