NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman pleads guilty in sex-cult case
USA Today/March 13, 2019
By Jon Campbell, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Albany New York – The president and co-founder of NXIVM pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court, admitting to participating in a widespread criminal enterprise on behalf of the cult-like organization.
Nancy Salzman, who was known to NXIVM followers as "Prefect," admitted to one count of racketeering conspiracy in Brooklyn federal court, according to multiple reports.
She confessed to stealing email addresses and passwords of others and altering a tape used in a lawsuit against a critic.
NXIVM, led by mastermind Keith Raniere, was a self-help organization based in the Albany area that was the subject of international headlines last year when Raniere and his inner circle were arrested, accused of overseeing a criminal operation in which some women followers were branded with Raniere's initials and groomed for his sexual pleasure.
Salzman co-founded NXIVM with Raniere in the 1990s, acting as his second-in-command until the organization suspended operations last year.
Salzman was accused of two illegal acts: Stealing the email passwords of people perceived to be NXIVM foes, and altering tapes of herself teaching courses before turning them over for use in a lawsuit against Rick Ross, a cult "deprogrammer" who has long been a NXIVM critic and helped followers escape.
Salzman also is accused of altering tapes of herself teaching NXIVM courses before turning them over for use in a lawsuit against Rick Ross, a cult "deprogrammer" who has long been a NXIVM critic and helped followers escape.
She was released on $5 million bond last year and has been under home confinement since. She is due for sentencing in July.
Salzman, 64, who is facing health issues, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, though sentencing guidelines call for a much lesser sentence of roughly 3 to 4 years.
Her attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Her daughter, Lauren Salzman, remains under indictment and is awaiting trial, as are four other co-defendants: Raniere; Kathy Russell; Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram's liquor fortune; and Allison Mack, an actress best known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on the CW's "Smallville."
Raniere is accused of overseeing a criminal enterprise.
Prosecutors say he secretly created and led a sorority named DOS, whose female members were branded on their pubic regions with a logo containing his initials.
They say some members were groomed for unwanted sex with Raniere and forced to give up blackmail material like naked photos and secrets about family members in order to ensure they wouldn't leave the sorority, according to prosecutors.
Raniere has pleaded not guilty, as have the other defendants.
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