“Turn out the lights, the party’s over
They say that ‘All good things must end’
Let’s call it a night, the party’s over
And tomorrow starts the same old thing again”
Nancy Salzman is headed off to federal prison for 42 months. She’ll report to her assigned prison on January 19, 2022 after undergoing undisclosed medical procedures.
That was the sentence handed down today by U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis – the same judge who had previously handed out the following sentences to four of Nancy’s co-defendants:
Keith Raniere: 120 years plus 5 years of probation;
Clare Bronfman: 6.75 years plus 3 years of probation;
Allison Mack: 3 years plus 3 years of probation; and
Lauren Salzman: 5 years of probation.
Almost from the time she pled guilty to one count of Racketeering Conspiracy on April 13, 2019, Nancy had been telling people that she did not expect to serve any time in prison.
After she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy, she became even more confident that Judge Garaufis would not incarcerate her in federal prison – which would pretty much ensure she would receive sub-par health care.
MK 10 Art’s painting of a portrait of Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis
And when her sentencing was postponed several times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she became so confident that she began providing counseling services again – and administering Explorations of Meaning (EMs) – to both former members of NXIVM and to new clients that other former members recruited for her.
Before long, she was pretty much back to the same lifestyle that she had enjoyed during the 20-years that she presided as The Prefect over her NXIVM/ESP domain.
The Prefect used to use charts to teach NXIVM/ESP students. Now, she’ll be learning how to survive in federal prison.
Lots of cash income, new designer outfits, fine wines – and, according to several sources, her first boyfriend/lover in quite some time.
The Prefect’s Parking Sign from NXIVM/ESP’s former headquarters in Albany, NY.
Just a few weeks ago, her confidence crescendoed when her daughter, Lauren, was sentenced to 5-years of probation and no prison time by the same judge who would be sentencing her.
After all, Lauren had pled guilty to two felonies (i.e., Racketeering and Racketeering Conspiracy) – and Lauren had also been heavily involved in Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS), the secret master/slave sex cult.
Lauren Salzman
And here was Nancy – having only pled guilty to one felony (i.e., Racketeering Conspiracy) – and a 66-year-old cancer survivor who recently became a grandmother for the first time, and who had even more recently suffered the loss of her father.
As Nancy explained her situation to several people – many of whom were quick to share the information with others – Nancy was sure that she was going to just get “time served” as a sentence.
Never mind the fact that being on “home confinement” does not count as “time served”.
Nancy was – and, in her mind, always will be – The Prefect.
And The Prefect doesn’t have to abide by the rules of the common folks.
The Prefect is a special person and must always be treated as special. Even by U.S. District Court judges – who many people believe are the most powerful people in the entire U.S. government.
But apparently, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis is aware of all these things.
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Nancy Lied to Judge Garaufis Right From the Start
Nancy decided early on that she was going to lie about her role in the NXIVM/ESP criminal enterprise.
Per the transcript from the hearing at which she had pled guilty back on March 13, 2019, Nancy told Judge Garaufis: “Between 2005 and 2018, I agreed to join an enterprise comprised of people close to Keith Raniere…”
WTF???
Here’s a corrected version of that statement: “In 1998, Keith Raniere and I co-founded NXIVM – and since then, I have served as the President and day-to-day leader of that enterprise…”
And as we saw from her Sentencing Memorandum – which finally became public (or at least partially public) yesterday – she has continued to lie to Judge Garaufis about the role she played in NXIVM/ESP.
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The Days Leading Up to Nancy’s Sentencing Were Tumultuous & Damaging
For the last 2½ years, Nancy has pretty much flown under the radar of most people who were part of – or who follow – the NXIVM/ESP saga.
Although she was featured in all the books, podcasts, and television docudramas that came out after Keith’s trial, her real role as the day-to-day leader of the cult was often muted.
MK10 ART’s painting of Nancy Salzman with the snake-like tongue
But over the course of the days leading up to today’s sentencing, Nancy’s public profile took a dramatic turn upward.
It began with the decision by Nancy and her attorneys to file their Sentencing Memorandum “under seal”.
Rolling the dice that no one would notice or object – and/or that Judge Garaufis wouldn’t care – turned out to be a bad decision.
Instead of just enduring whatever criticism was going to get leveled at the content of that document, they decided to try and hide it from Nancy’s victims and the general public – which, in the end, only shone a bigger spotlight on it.
And since filing it “under seal” also violated the applicable rules for such filings in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), it very likely also pissed off Judge Garaufis.
But the real highlight of the past few days was The New York Times story about the important role Nancy played in allowing the NXIVM/ESP criminal enterprise to develop and flourish – and her attempt to intimidate at least one witness into not talking about that fact.
Right behind the New York Times story came Ivy Nevares’ Victim Impact Statement – which spelled out in chilling detail just how evil and immoral Nancy Salzman really is.
Ivy Nevares
The three “key points” that were set forth in Ivy’s statement were as follows: “One, that Salzman was not only instrumental but essential to the existence of NXIVM and the crimes she and others committed. Second, that she continues to demonstrate an utter disregard for the law even since her arrest, violating her bail conditions and, more gravely, attempting to intimidate me into not writing this statement. Finally, that the physical, psychological and emotional abuse she subjected me to as my coach speaks to her character and lack of empathy”
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Today’s Sentencing Was Appropriate and Just
While those who support her – the unnamed seven family members and the twenty-three former NXIVM members – were undoubtedly disappointed by the sentence handed down today by Judge Garaufis, I deem it to be appropriate and just (I would have said the same if he had sentenced her to 5 or 6 years in prison).
Just because Nancy has battled breast cancer – and just because she’s now 67 years old – are not reasons enough to allow her to avoid incarceration.
And other than those two factors, I can not think of any reasons why the judge should have been more lenient with her than he was (He could have sentenced her to 20-years in prison).
She has lied to his face since the first time she appeared before him,
She is not apologetic.
She is not contrite.
She is not remorseful.
She is not rehabilitating herself.
She is not any of those things – and she never will be.
For she is – and in her mind always will be – The Prefect.
