New arrests in NXIVM case.
ALBANY — Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram's liquor fortune, was arrested Tuesday morning in connection with the ongoing investigation into NXIVM, a cult-like group based in the Albany area whose leader has been charged with sex-trafficking charges.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for New York's Eastern District confirmed Bronfman had been arrested earlier Tuesday and will face arraignment in Brooklyn federal court in the afternoon.
Three other people — including NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren — were arrested in the Albany area in connection with the NXIVM case on Tuesday, according to Tyler Daniels, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Bronfman, the Salzmans and Kathy Russell will be arraigned on racketeering conspiracy charges Tuesday afternoon.
Bronfman, who lives in the Albany area, is a longtime bankroller of NXIVM, which was founded by Salzman and Keith Raniere in the late 1990s.
Raniere was charged in March and accused of leading a secret society that promoted a master-slave relationship with its members, some of whom were groomed to have sex with him and branded in their pubic area with a logo bearing his initials.
The next month, actress Allison Mack was charged with sex trafficking for her involvement with the group, which was known as DOS and was a subset of NXIVM, according to prosecutors.
Mack was best known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on the CW's Smallville.
The Times Union of Albany first reported the charges against the Salzmans and Russell, who the newspaper says was a longtime bookkeeper for NXIVM.
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2018/07/24/clare-bronfman-seagram-liquor-heiress-arrested-nxivm-cult-case/825973002/