Heiress faces sentencing in upstate New York sex slave case

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By TOM HAYS

NEW YORK (AP) — A wealthy benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced leader of a self-improvement group in upstate New York convicted of turning women into sex slaves branded with his initials, is facing sentencing in the federal conspiracy case.

Seagram’s liquor fortune heiress Clare Bronfman is due to appear on Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn. The stakes are high: Her lawyers want a judge to give her three years probation instead of prison time while prosecutors say she deserves five years behind bars.

The 41-year-old Bronfman admitted in a guilty plea last year that she harbored someone who was living in the U.S. illegally for unpaid “labor and services” and that she committed credit card fraud on behalf of Raniere, leader of the group called NXIVM.

In a letter to the court last month, Bronfman wrote that she “never meant to hurt anyone, however I have and for this I am deeply sorry.” Still, she said that she couldn’t disavow Raniere because “NXIVM and Keith greatly changed my life for the better.”



FILE - In this April 8, 2019, file photo, Seagram's liquor fortune heiress Clare Bronfman leaves Brooklyn Federal Court, in New York. Bronfman, the wealthy benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced leader of a self-improvement group in upstate New York convicted of turning women into sex slaves branded with his initials, will be in court, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, for sentencing on federal conspiracy charges. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/keith-raniere-new-york-brooklyn-clare-bronfman-sentencing-2113db0c7ea15dc91c7de297cec89736

[Sherman A1]

1. I think the 5 years the prosecutor is seeking

Is far too little. She knew damn good and well what she was doing. I hope that her victims sue her for everything she has and she ends up on the street selling pencils ✏️.

[obamanut2012]

9. 100% agree

[Yeehah]

2. Stupid person cannot disavow her criminal cult leader

Really needs some time inside to think things over.

[thesquanderer]

4. Not stupid. Her best defense may be that she was--and still is--basically a brainwashed cult member.

How can someone keep a slave (plus the credit card fraud, even aside from whatever else that she may have done that she has not actually pled guilty to) and expect any chance of NO jail time? I think the only possible rationale for no jail time is to somehow persuade the judge that you were not entirely responsible for your actions. Make the cult leader the criminal and yourself a victim.. and continuing to pledge your loyalty to him is a way to do that without ever even having to accuse him of anything. Probably one of the easiest ways to try to convince somone that you were brainwashed is to appear that you are STILL brainwashed.

[jaxexpat]

6. Yep, That'd be my ploy.

[Yeehah]

11. "Oh, she's still brainwashed so I'll give her a shorter jail sentence."

Probably not the thought process of many judges.

[The Magistrate]

3. A Fair Rule Of Thumb, Sir

Is that if your association with someone has led you to stand before a judge for sentencing, that person has not greatly changed your life for the better....

[iemitsu]

10. Sounds like Prince Andrew saying that his relationship with Epstein had

more benefits than problems.
Weird how stupid some folk are.

[marble falls]

5. "I'm sorry for hurting people, but it made me a better person" is not a sign of contrition. 5 yrs.

"In a letter to the court last month, Bronfman wrote that she “never meant to hurt anyone, however I have and for this I am deeply sorry.” Still, she said that she couldn’t disavow Raniere because “NXIVM and Keith greatly changed my life for the better.”"

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. This is the group the two actresses from 'Smallville' were involved with.

[obamanut2012]

8. All of them, including Allison Mack and the Saltzmans, should get at least 25 years

For human and sex trafficking. "Vanguard" needs to never walk in free air and sunshine again.

[Yavin4]

12. There's an HBO documentary series about this group called, "The Vow"

Pretty harrowing stuff.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Seagram's heir sentenced to prison in branded sex slave case

Seagram’s heir sentenced to prison in branded sex slave case

By TOM HAYS
yesterday

NEW YORK (AP) — An heir to the Seagram’s liquor fortune was sentenced Wednesday to an 81-month prison term and immediately thrown behind bars for her role as an unwavering benefactor of Keith Raniere, the disgraced self-improvement guru convicted of turning women into sex slaves who were branded with his initials.

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis gave Clare Bronfman the harsh sentence at a hearing lasting more than three hours and featuring emotional statements from several victims gathered in a courtroom under strict coronavirus safety protocols. The judge repeatedly scolded Clare Bronfman for standing by Raniere and his upstate New York organization, even after the evidence made clear she eventually became aware of his sex-trafficking scheme.

With that knowledge, she “could have distanced herself from him,” the judge said, his bench fitted with a sheet of plexiglass. “Instead, she chose to double down on her support of Raniere.”

{snip}

The sentence far exceeded the three years probation sought by the defense and even the five years the government wanted for Bronfman, who had been under home confinement. She also was fined $500,000.

{snip}

All contents © copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[L.Pharmstrong]

14. 81 months.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/nyregion/clare-bronfman-nxivm-keith-raniere-sentence.html

Upward departure from federal sentencing guidelines and more than the 5 years requested by the US Attorney. Claire will become eligible for parole after serving 1/3 of her sentence, or 27 months. This doesn’t bode well for Raniere, who is looking at a life sentence.