Clare Bronfman Pleads Guilty In Nxivm Sex Slave Cult Case
Image by Forward Montage
Heiress Clare Bronfman pleaded guilty on Friday to being involved in the alleged sex-slavery cult Nxivm, CBS News reported.
In her plea, Bronfman admitted she hid someone living in the U.S. illegally for unpaid “labor and services.” She also said she committed credit card fraud while working for Keith Raniere, who led Nxivm in upstate New York.
Bronfman, the daughter of the late philanthropist and former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr., told the judge she was trying to help people. Nxivm described itself as a “self-help” organization, but according to officials, it was actually a cult that branded members and forced them into having sex with Raniere.
Bronfman apologized for her involvement with the organization. “Your honor, I was afforded a great gift by my grandfather and father,” she said. “With the gift, comes immense privilege and more importantly, tremendous responsibility. It does not come with an ability to break the law.”
She is required to pay $6 million of a fortune worth $200 million, according to CBS, and faces more than two years in prison. She’ll be sentenced July 25.
Raniere is facing conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Four other Nxivm insiders, besides Bronfman, have pleaded guilty, including former “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, who was Raniere’s top aide.
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
