Leader Of Infamous Cult Started Upstate New York Sentenced To 120 Years

A creepy sex cult that branded women like cattle was founded in Upstate New York. A famous television actress was also involved in the crimes committed by the cult, which targeted and coerced women into joining it and becoming "sex slaves" for its founder.

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Before NXIVM, Keith Allen Raniere created Consumers Buyline. The New York Attorney General accused the company of being a pyramid scheme. In 1996, Raniere signed a consent order, agreed to pay a $40,000 fine, and was permanently banned from "promoting, offering or granting participation in a chain distribution scheme."

Dangerous Sex Cult NXIVM Started In Upstate New York

Raniere and Nancy Salzman founded NXIVM, a sex cult, and a multi-level marketing scheme, founded in 1998. According to Wiki,

The group claimed to offer personal and professional development seminars through its "Executive Success Programs" of large-group awareness training.

While NXIVM was headquartered in Albany, New York, it expanded beyond the reach of the state. It had centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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NXIVM was described as a personal development company offering "Executive Success Programs." One of his former members said that the name NXIVM was based on the ancient Roman system of debt bondage known as nexum, where a debtor would pledge themself as collateral if they defaulted on their loan.

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NXIVM Sex Cult Attracts Famous, Wealthy Women

In the early 2000s, Clare and Sara Bronfman, who were heiresses to the Seagram fortune, became involved with NXIVM. In 2003, Forbes published a negative story about NXIVM, alleging it was a cult. Edgar Bronfman Sr., the father of Clare and Sara, had told Forbes he believed it was a cult. Forbes also published negative stories about NXIVM in 2006 and 2010. The Bronfman sisters, however, used their connection to Stephen Herbits, an associate of their father, to ask the Albany County District Attorney David Soares, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram to investigate the critics of NXIVM.

Smallville actress Allison Mack was another famous name heavily involved in NXIVM. She and Raniere started DOS, also known as "Dominus Obsequious Sororium." It was described as "a secret society of women that started in 2015 within NXIVM in which female members were allegedly called slaves, branded with the initials of Raniere and Mack, subjected to corporal punishment from their 'masters', and required to provide nude photos or other potentially damaging information about themselves as 'collateral.'" The women were branded with Keith and Allison's initials.

The allegations against Raniere and Mack about the sexual abuse and sex trafficking led to Rainiere's arrest in March 2018. He was arrested and indicted on charges, including sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor, according to Wikipedia. Mack was arrested one month later on similar charges.

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NXIVM Conspirators Found Guilty

Raniere was charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison and was assessed $1.75 million in fines by the United States Government. Allison Mack was sentenced to 3 years in prison, she was released July 3, 2023. Others who were arrested and charged in connection to NXIVM and DOS were Clare Bronfman (sentenced to 81 months), Lauren Salzman (sentenced to 5 years of probation), Nancy Salzman (sentenced to 42 months in prison), and Kathy Russell (sentenced to 2 years of probation).

You can learn more about NXIVM here.

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