Susan Dones appeared on TNT’s Rich and Shameless Episode, the Heiress and the Sex Cult. It was a 48-minute documentary on Clare Bronfman. It featured plenty of photos and video clips of Bronfman and commentary from Kristin Keeffe, Maja Milkovich, Sarah Berman, Susan Dones, and myself.
Here is what Susan had to say.
My name is Susan Dones, and I was in NXIVM from December 2000 to April 2009.
I met Clare early on. I don’t remember Clare ever looking like a millionaire. Like, what I would assume a millionaire would look like. She was never super dressed up.
Clare on stage at Vanguard Week.
Her sister Sara was bubbly and personable. Everybody talked to Sara. Sara was fun to be around.
Barbara Bouchey with Sara Bronfman
Clare has a mean streak in her that turns people off. And I think a lot of it stems from her childhood.
Edgar Bronfman with his daughter, Clare Bronfman.
Her family life was sad. Her relationship with her father and her relationship with her mother is sad. So I think her relationship with herself is sad. So she was the perfect mark for a cult.
Clare Bronfman was an elite equestrian showjumper.
As an equestrian, Clare had to be pretty much top of her class even to make it to the Olympic trials. And that’s pretty darn good.
After joining NXIVM, Clare quit show jumping. And I thought that was so cruel of them to extract that out of her life, all because they want it expunged from her, for her money.
I was in a different city in a different country representing this country every single weekend for three and a half years. I mean, it was really wonderful and very fortunate. It was wonderful – Clare Bronfman.
Keith Raniere had a higher vision for Clare than being a mere equestrian.
Later on, I found out through the grapevine that Keith Raniere told Clare she should have a bigger, global vision. Riding horses was not a global vision. Her purpose was to be humanitarian.
In reality, her checkbook became more open. And then I think Keith became more of a like a lover relationship with Clare.
Keith Alan Raniere
Sara and Clare became dedicated to spreading the glad tidings of a new more noble civilization through the glorious message of their Vanguard.
On stage with Prince Raniere Sara and Clare got the privilege of announcing they were donating to his highness $20 million. Kristin Keeffe is on the right.
The beneficient Raniere generously agrees to accept their money for the welfare of all humanity. A more noble civilization is around the corner.
Clare and her sister started a couple of foundations for NXIVM and opened their checkbooks. It was 2004 at Vanguard Week. Clare and Sara were going to present one of those big checks. They were going to give Keith this money for his Ethical Science Foundation.
$20 million dollars.
And I’m like, What the heck?
Susan Dones was surprised to learn about the $20 million donation.
Keith and Nancy go together like birds of feather. Nancy’s daughter Lauren is on the left.One day I got summoned to Nancy’s house, and she’s upset about something.
And she’s like, ‘Keith has this mathematical formula he believes will work in the commodities market. And he is testing it out. And he’s lost a lot of the Bronfman’s money that the girls had loaned him.’
I said, ‘But what’s a lot of money?’
And she said ‘$68 million.’
And my jaw hit the ground, and I’m like, ‘What are you doing borrowing money from students?’
And she said, ‘It’s all Edgar Bronfman’s fault.;
I’m like, ‘What do you mean it’s Edgar Bronfman’s fault?’
Keith had told Nancy that Edgar had set up bets against Keith in the commodities market, so his mathematical formula would not be successful to embarrass him in front of the girls.
And I’m like, ‘how does Edgar Bronfman even know that Keith is in the commodities market?’
Keith and Clare
In 2009, I found out through the grapevine that NXIVM was getting students to go to Mexico to do training. And then they bring cash across the border from Mexico in $10,000 increments. Millions of dollars were being made in Mexico. But they were bringing the money to America to not pay taxes on it, which is illegal.
Nancy [Prefect] Salzman cuts the ribbon opening up the Mexico NXIVM center. Alex Betancourt [l] and Emiliano Salinas [R].
And I’m thinking like, ‘this is what mafia does. Like major criminal activity.’
I immediately closed my center. After I left, Clare and NXIVM’s attorneys filed their adversary lawsuit against me.
It was very difficult for me to come into bankruptcy. I lost everything.
I believe they will go to the ends of the earth to destroy you.
Keith had his day and then it passed.
When Raniere was arrested, I was so excited and so relieved, because it meant his reign of terror was over. It’s just justice for all of us that were duped by this entire gang of criminals.
I think Clare is a victim of coercive control, but I also think she’s a perpetrator. She allowed herself to use her money in a way that did damage. The damage she did to people with her money. She just tortured. And a lot of people know what she’s done.
Clare Bronfman had a grand time until the good times got cut short.
