According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons [BOP], Clare Bronfman’s release from prison will come nine months early.
The former NXIVM leader is now scheduled to leave prison in 31 months – on September 2, 2025.
It is unclear why Bronfman benefited from a more than 10 percent decrease in her sentence – but some or all of it may be due to BOP recalculations of earned time credits as part of the First Step Act.
The BOP initially set her release date for June 14, 2026.
On September 30, 2020, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis sentenced Bronfman to 81 months in federal custody. Her sentence was 54 months above the high end of the applicable Sentencing Guidelines range of 21-27 months.
Bronfman has served 28 months of her sentence. Adding 31 months means the Seagram’s heiress, who funded NXIVM, will spend 59 months in prison.
Bronfman spent most of her first 20 months at the Philadelphia Detention Center, a high-security facility.
The Philadelphia Detention Center
Last spring, the BOP transferred Bronfman to FCI Danbury, a low-security facility.
In November, the BOP settled a lawsuit with Bronfman by agreeing to remove her Public Safety Factor [PSF] designation from her file.
The PSF designation was based on a presentencing report by the US Department of Probation, which tied her to NXIVM founder Keith Raniere’s crimes of conviction for sex trafficking and racketeering predicate acts of possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor. Bronfman was not implicated in those crimes.
Her lawyers argued it was unfair to make her prison assignment based on crimes for which she was not a participant.
Her crimes of conviction – harboring an illegal alien and identity theft – are non-violent.
In December, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected Bronfman’s appeal of her sentence. Bronfman, 43, claimed her triple guidelines sentence was procedurally unreasonable.
The November settlement with the BOP paved the way for Bronfman’s transfer to the FCI satellite prison camp at FCI Danbury and a recalculation of her release date based on the implementation of the First Step Act.
The First Step Act allows eligible federal prisoners to earn 10 to 15 days of time credits for every 30 days of successful participation in a specific list of programs and productive activities.
The earned credits lead to an earlier move to a halfway house, home confinement, or probation.
Bronfman has been the beneficiary of this recalculation, prompted by the removal of her PSF designation and the BOP’s 2023 stepped-up implementation of the First Step Act.
It is unclear how she earned more than nine months from the First Step Act, or if there are other reasons for the reduction.
Mack Remains the Same
Allison Mack has not earned any time credits as of press time.
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis sentenced Allison Mack to 36 months in federal prison for her conviction of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy.
Mack reported to the low-security FCI Dublin on September 13, 2021. Initially, the BOP gave her a release date of March 27, 2024 – 30 months and two weeks in prison.
Her release date is two days later — March 29, 2024.
At one point, Allison took educational programs for credit. Last year, the BOP took three and one-half months off, amending her release date to December 15, 2023.
She has lost the credits. The BOP currently lists her release date as March 29, 2024.
Nancy Salzman
Nancy Salzman also saw a gain and loss of time.
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis sentenced her to 42 months. Her original release date was February 12, 2025. Last year, the BOP modified her release date to December 4, 2024.
Within the last few weeks, the BOP recalculated her sentence, bringing her release date back to February 12, 2025.
She has 25 months to go in FCI Hazelton. However, because she is 68, she may qualify for compassionate release, or by attending approved courses, she may advance her freedom to an earlier date.
Raniere
Finally, Keith Raniere, 62, has not seen any change in his release date. Raniere can leave prison on June 27, 2120. Should he survive, he would be 159.
He remains in the SHU at USP Tucson. Raniere entered the SHU on July 26. For almost seven months, Raniere has been locked in a small cell 23-24 hours per day. At last word, Raniere remains lodged with William Anthony ‘Toni’ Fly, 54.
The BOP has Fly set for release on September 8, 2025.
