Claire Bronfman, daughter of the late business mogul Edgar Bronfman Sr. and heiress to the Seagram family liquor fortune, met Mr. Raniere in 2002 and initially became a believer in NXIVM, eventually joining its board of directors. After becoming a member, he was accused of funding what turned out to be illegal activities, and is also Mr. Raniere’s benefactor and legal advocate, who is accused of funding lawsuits on behalf of Mr. Raniere against those of his perceived enemies.
In 2003, Bronfman’s father estimated to Forbes that Bronfman had loaned NXIVM $2 million, which she denied at the time. “I think this is a cult,” said Bronfman Sr., who died in 2013.
On April 19, 2019, Bronfman pled guilty to conspiracy to harbor and conceal illegal immigration for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification for helping Mr. Raniere use a deceased person’s credit card. Part of her judgment called for the forfeiture of $6 million.
“I truly regret it,” Bronfman told U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. “I have tried to do good in the world and help people, but I have also made mistakes.”
She was sentenced on September 30, 2020 to 81 months in prison. Describing the severe penalties, Garaufis said he was “troubled by evidence suggesting that Ms. Bronfman repeatedly and consistently used her wealth and social status as a means to intimidate, control, and punish” those who left NXIVM and those she perceived as opponents.
According to the Albany Times Union, Bronfman was released from prison in May 2024 and entered a detention facility.
