Nxivm sex cult case: Seagram heiress among four women arrested https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44946059
Ms Bronfman, the daughter of late billionaire philanthropist and Seagram head Edgar Bronfman, was arrested on Tuesday along with three others on charges of racketeering conspiracy, US prosecutors say.
Court documents allege Ms Bronfman, a member of Nxivm's executive board, was involved in the identity theft of at least two women - including a deceased sexual partner of Mr Raniere.
She is also accused of encouraging and assisting in an alleged Nxivm victim's illegal entry into the US.
In a note published on her website last December, Ms Bronfman said she still supported Nxivm after seeing "so much good come from both our programmes and from Keith himself".
Her lawyer Susan Necheles said in a statement that Nxivm was "not a criminal enterprise" but "an organisation that helped thousands of people," according to US media.
"The charges against Clare are the result of government overreaching and charging an individual with crimes just because the government disagrees with some beliefs taught by Nxivm and held by Clare," Ms Necheles said.
Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman, 64, her daughter, Lauren Salzman, 42, and the group's 60-year-old bookkeeper, Kathy Russell, were all arrested alongside Ms Brofman on Tuesday.
All six are accused of racketeering conspiracy, or attempting to illegally obtain or extort money, and could face up to 20 years in jail, plus an additional maximum 15 years for identity theft conspiracy.\
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