An heir to Seagram’s liquor fortune pleaded guilty Friday to two counts related to the infamous upstate New York sex cult NXIVM.
“Your honor, I was afforded a great gift from my grandfather and father,” heiress Clare Bronfman said in Brooklyn, New York’s federal court, Page Six reported. “It comes with a greater responsibility to uphold the law.”
Authorities charged Bronfman, 40, as one of several involved with an alleged sex cult called NXIVM. She confessed before U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis to helping the group use a deceased woman’s credit card and to harboring an illegal immigrant, Reuters reported.
Clare Bronfman, an heiress of the Seagram’s liquor empire, arrives at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse on April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Bronfman agreed not to appeal any prison sentence of under 27 months as part of the plea deal. She also agreed to forfeit $6 million and pay additional restitution.
The alleged sex cult organization was founded as a self-help group. It closed operations in 2018 after the arrest of several leaders on forced labor and sex-trafficking charges. (RELATED: Report: What Is The ‘Sex Cult’ That Kirsten Gillibrand’s Father Allegedly Lobbied For?)
The case attracted national attention after “Smallville” celebrity Allison Mack pleaded guilty earlier in April to charges related to her involvement with the group. In addition, it was alleged that 2020 presidential candidate and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s father lobbied for the group in 2004.
Bronfman’s sentencing will be July 25. She faces a maximum sentence of 25 years for both charges.
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