London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 31, 2025

Seagram’s heiress Clare Bronfman sentenced to more than 6 years for role in Nxivm sex cult

Seagram’s liquor heiress Clare Bronfman on Wednesday was slapped with a stiff sentence of more than six years behind bars for her role in the Nxivm sex-slave cult.
The 41-year-old’s eyes widened as Brooklyn federal court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis announced her 81-month stint — after he laced into her for an hour, saying she used her deep pockets to help silence the group’s victims and critics.

The scion had “used her incredible wealth and attempted to use her social status and connections not only to support Nxivm’s work, but also as a means of intimidating, threatening, and exacting revenge upon individuals who dared to challenge its dogma,” he said.

Dressed in a pink shirt, billowy black pants and a floral face mask, Bronfman — who had been under house arrest at her city luxury apartment and owns an island in Fiji — was immediately taken into custody by US Marshals.

Bronfman pleaded guilty last year to charges of conspiracy to conceal and harbor an illegal alien for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification, admitting she committed credit card fraud on behalf of cult leader and convicted sex-trafficker Keith Raniere.

But prosecutors have said that Raniere — who ran a master-slave group within Nxivm called DOS, where women were branded with his initials and forced to sleep with him — could not have committed his crimes without the help of Bronfman and her $210 million fortune.

Before her sentence was handed down Wednesday, nine women who were victimized by Nxivm also tore into Bronfman, calling her a “dangerous megalomaniac” and “predator.”

According to the judge, federal sentencing guidelines had called for Bronfman to receive up to 27 months behind bars, while prosecutors had sought five years.

Bronfman’s own lawyers had sought three years of probation, denying she knew anything about DOS.

But Garaufis — who also ordered a $500,000 fine — wasn’t swayed.

“Ms. Bronfman came to learn details about DOS and faced a choice as to whose interests she would protect: Raniere’s or his victims’,” the judge said. “She chose Raniere unequivocally, and to this day she has not clearly apologized.”

Her lawyer said he would immediately appeal.

“The decision was clearly an abomination. It was outrageous. It was a miscarriage of justice, to go three times above the sentencing guidelines was totally uncalled for,” said attorney Ron Sullivan.

Bronfman is the first top Nxivm member to be sentenced in the case. Five others, including Raniere and former “Smallville” TV actress Allison Mack, who pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges, are still awaiting their fates.

As a high-level member of Nxivm, Bronfman brought young women into the country illegally, prosecutors said.

Bronfman, once a top equestrian with her sights set on the Olympics, recruited one wannabe professional horse-rider into Nxivm — but the woman was eventually groomed for Raniere’s perverted sexual pleasure, according to court testimony.

The woman told the court during Raniere’s trial that she became a “slave” in DOS — then was ordered to “seduce” Raniere.

Prior to being sentenced, a tearful Bronfman gave a statement to the court, in which she admitted to making “mistakes.”

“I’m immensely grateful and privileged that people all over the world are praying for me because they know my goodness,” she said.

“It doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes, I have made mistakes…”

She then directly addressed one of her victims, identified as Jane Doe 12, an immigrant from Mexico who Bronfman recruited to work for a Nxivm-affiliated company — while refusing to pay her a living wage.

“I’m truly sorry for all your hardship and pain I have caused,” Bronfman said, her eyes welling with tears. “I hope you can forgive me and live a happy life.”

But the judge didn’t buy Bronfman’s mea culpa, appearing to see it as a continuing manipulation of the victim.

“Jane Doe 12 was affected by that. Bronfman is doing again what she did then. This judge is not blind Ms. Bronfman. I saw what you just did and I’m speechless,” he said, before shaking his head.

Raniere, 60, who was found guilty of charges including racketeering and sex-trafficking last year, faces up to life in prison when sentenced next month.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Shawbrook IPO Marks London’s Biggest UK Listing in Two Years
UK Government Split Over Backing Brazil’s $125 Billion Tropical Forest Fund Ahead of COP30
J.K. Rowling Condemns Glamour UK Feature of Nine Trans Women as 'Men Better at Being Women'
King Charles III Removes Prince Andrew’s Titles and Orders His Departure from Royal Lodge
UK Finance Minister Reeves Releases Email Correspondence to Clarify Rental-Licence Breach
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
×