Seagram’s heiress gets more than six years in prison for role in Nxivm sex cult

Seagram’s alcohol heiress Clare Bronfman has been jailed for more than six years for her role in the Nxivm sex cult.

Bronfman was a high-ranking member of Nxivm who bankrolled it and helped recruit young women into the US illegally, prosecutors said.

Self-styled spiritual guru and group leader Keith Raniere was convicted last year on a string of charges that he created a secret master-slave group within Nxivm called DOS.

Authorities said at trial that women in the upstate New York group were forced to have sex with Raniere, had his initials branded on their bodies and to go on strict diets.

Bronfman, 41, pleaded guilty last year to charges of conspiracy to conceal and harbour an illegal alien for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification.

Her lawyers had sought three years probation but as part of a plea deal she got 81 months behind bars and must forfeit $6m of her $210m personal fortune.

“There can be little doubt that Raniere would not have been able to commit the crimes with which he was convicted were it not for powerful allies like Bronfman,” prosecutors wrote in court papers.

Bronfman was a highly rated equestrian and recruited a professional horse rider into the cult and groomed her to have sex with Raniere.

Raniere, 60, was convicted of seven counts of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, attempted sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.

Former Smallville star Allison Mack was a high-ranking member of the cult and has pleaded guilty to charges she was involved in the scheme to turn women into sex slaves for Raniere.

Mack is still awaiting sentencing on two racketeering charges, which could each carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Raniere is being held at a New York City detention centre ahead of his sentencing in October.

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