A former nurse who co-founded and ran a similar cult organization NXIVM Prosecutors said women were brainwashed, branded with animals and forced to have sex. On Wednesday, they were sentenced to 42 months in prison, but they will not be held until January.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said that Nancy Salzman, former president and co-founder of NXIVM, must also pay a fine of $150,000. She agreed to confiscate more than $500,000 in cash, several properties and a Steinway grand piano.
Garaufis said that Salzman must report to the prison before January 19. Her lawyer said that she had been caring for her sick mother.
Speaking at Brooklyn Federal Court, 67-year-old Salzman said that when they started working together 20 years ago, she was confused by NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, and she began to rationalize and ignore Illegal behavior seen around her. She apologized to everyone who was hurt by her.
“I don’t know I can forgive myself,” she said.
Salzman is known as the “prefect” in the Albany-based group. He pleaded guilty to racketeering in March 2019, which involved conspiracy to steal identity and conspiracy to obstruct justice. She was one of the first people in the organization’s leadership to plead guilty to criminal charges.
At that time, the tearful Salzman said that she mingled with the self-improving master and the self-proclaimed spiritual leader Lanier because she wanted to help people improve their lives, but eventually lost their way by helping to monitor the enemy. Who tried to expose The organization is a cross between the Pyramid Project and the cult.
In Salzman’s sentence, Galluffes said that she “standing on top of the NXIVM pyramid” side by side with Lanier and “left trauma and destruction” behind her.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Casulis said in a statement after Salzman’s sentence: “Due to her misleading loyalty and blind allegiance to Keith Lanier, the defendant participated in a decree. An extortion conspiracy to intimidate NXIVM critics and cause harm to NXIVM members.”
Lanier was sentenced to 120 years in prison in October last year for turning some women into sex slaves with his initials and sexually torturing 15-year-old girls. The group attracted millionaires, including Seagram’s wine heir, Claire Bronfman, and Hollywood actors, including Alison Mack of the TV “Littleville”.
Bronfman was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison a year ago. Mike was sentenced to three years in prison in June. Salzman’s daughter Lauren Salzman was sentenced to five years probation in July and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service for her role in the organization.
Prosecutors said that Nancy Salzman’s crimes involved stealing the identities of critics of the organization and hacking into their email accounts from 2003 to 2008. In the New Jersey lawsuit against the organization, she was also accused of conspiring to show a video of her teaching the NXIVM course to doctors before forwarding the recording to the plaintiff.
A biography of Salzman NXIVM was posted on the Internet, saying that she was a consultant for New York State and large companies, “until she met Keith Lanier and discovered a personal growth method that produces strong and lasting results .”
© 2021 Canadian Press
