NXIVM sex cult member who cooperated avoids prison time

3 years ago 390

NEW YORK – A erstwhile subordinate of NXIVM person Keith Raniere’s interior ellipse who was charged successful his enactment trafficking endeavor avoided situation astatine sentencing Wednesday aft prosecutors cited her bonzer cooperation.

Lauren Salzman was sentenced successful Brooklyn national tribunal to 5 years probation for her relation successful the scandal-ridden, cult-like concealed nine of brainwashed women, who included millionaires and actors. The justice besides ordered her to execute 300 hours of assemblage service.

In a missive 2 weeks agone to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, prosecutors noted that her blameworthy plea to racketeering would usually telephone for a condemnation of 7 to 9 years successful prison. But they cited her “credible, detailed" testimony against Raniere astatine his 2019 trial arsenic crushed for leniency.

Salzman, a one-time subordinate of NXIVM's enforcement committee who pleaded blameworthy and agreed to go a authorities cooperator, was one of 2 witnesses to attest astatine Raniere's trial astir submitting to a barbaric ritual meant to amusement his slaves devotion to him.

Salzman testified astir being held down successful 2017 portion different Raniere devotee utilized a cauterizing pen to etch his initials into an country adjacent her pelvis, describing a bizarre initiation procedure.

“Master, delight marque me. It would beryllium an honor,” she recalled saying conscionable earlier she was branded.

She testified that it was “the astir achy happening I’ve ever experienced.”

She besides testified that she organized different brandings, inviting women to her house, wherever they were required to portion bare and beryllium blindfolded successful a ellipse arsenic portion of the ritual.

The archetypal pistillate branded, she said, “was screaming and squealing.”

In a missive to the justice anterior to her sentencing, Salzman wrote: “I privation I could instrumentality my information back. I privation I had been stronger and seen things sooner. ... I can’t adjacent statesman to ideate the pain, feelings of betrayal, feelings of usurpation and lasting affectional trauma that the victims person experienced."

At sentencing, she apologized to NXIVM's victims.

Salzman's attorney, Hector J. Diaz, said aft her sentencing that his lawsuit “looks guardant to closing a precise hard and incredibly unfortunate section to her life. Today marked different measurement toward this goal.

He added: “She wants to beryllium respectful of the victims successful this lawsuit and volition not marque further statements astatine this time. She looks guardant to surviving a backstage and productive life.”

Last October, Garaufis sentenced Raniere to 120 years successful prison for turning immoderate adherents into enactment slaves branded with his initials and sexually abusing a 15-year-old.

At Raniere's sentencing, 15 victims called for a lengthy situation term.

Last month, “Smallville" histrion Allison Mack was sentenced to 3 years successful situation for her relation successful NXIVM. Prosecutors said she cooperated with the prosecution aft pleading blameworthy successful the case.

Without cooperating, Mack would person faced betwixt 14 and 17 1/2 years down bars, according to national sentencing guidelines.

Her condemnation included situation clip aft prosecutors said she became a “master” for “slaves” she ordered “to execute labor, instrumentality nude photographs, and successful immoderate cases, to prosecute successful enactment acts with Raniere.”

Last September, Seagram's liquor luck heir Clare Bronfman was sentenced to six years and 9 months successful situation for her relation arsenic an unwavering benefactor to Raniere.

As authorities closed successful connected Raniere, helium fled to Mexico with Mack and others to effort to reconstitute the radical there. He was arrested and sent to the United States successful March 2018; Mack was arrested a fewer days later.

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