U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis recently indicated that he plans to conduct Keith Raniere’s sentencing hearing sometime in January.
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis
That likely means that he will be scheduling sentencing hearings for each of Keith’s co-defendants – Clare Bronfman, Allison Mack, Nancy Salzman, Lauren Salzman, and Kathy Russell – sometime between now and the end of the year.
As Frank Report readers know, all of Raniere’s co-defendants pleaded guilty rather than go to trial.
And all of them except Nancy entered into some sort of plea deal.
Nancy simply pleaded guilty to one count of Racketeering Conspiracy without any plea deal.
The others pleaded guilty to the following crimes:
– Clare Bronfman: One count of conspiring to conceal and harbor illegal aliens – and one count of fraudulently using another’s identity.
– Allison Mack: One count of racketeering and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
– Lauren Salzman: One count of racketeering and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
– Kathy Russell: One count of visa fraud.
Although Judge Garaufis will have total discretion in terms of the sentences he metes out, he will, in all likelihood, stay within the federal sentencing guidelines – and abide by the terms of any applicable plea deals. He will also be guided by the information and recommendations that are contained in each defendant’s Pre-Sentencing Report.
For Clare, that means that she will likely be sentenced to 21-27 months in federal prison (She can appeal any sentence over 27 months).
Clare Bronfman
For Allison and Lauren, that means they will probably each be sentenced to 3-5 years in federal prison (I think Lauren’s sentence will likely be at the low-end of that range – whereas Allison’s will be at the upper end).
Lauren Salzman and Allison Mack
And for Kathy, that means she will likely be sentenced to 6-12 months of prison time.
Kathy Russell
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But What About Prefect?
Although Nancy could be sentenced for up to 20 years in federal prison, she will most likely draw a much lower sentence than that.
Nancy Salzman
But how much prison time she deserves is open to debate.
On the one hand, she was the first to plead guilty – which is almost always rewarded in cases like this with multiple defendants.
On the other hand, she was the President of NXIVM/Executive Success Programs – and the person who oversaw its day-to-day operations until she was replaced by Clare Bronfman.
But let’s look at some of the other things Nancy did.
It was Nancy who convinced many NXIVM/ESP students into signing up for more and more training sessions – which eventually turned many of them into indentured servants.
It was Nancy who taught others how to extract valuable information from those students who submitted to Explorations-of-Meaning (EMs) – and who cataloged that information for future use in case any of them ever posed a threat to NXIVM/ESP.
It was Nancy who helped get members of Raniere’s harem back in line whenever they became unhappy with the terms and conditions of their relationship with The Vanguard.
It was Nancy who oversaw the money laundering operation – and who ordered others to carry large amounts of undeclared cash into the U.S.
It was Nancy who signed the paperwork to create hundreds of shell companies in order to hide NXIVM/ESP’s assets.
It was Nancy who convinced several low-ranking members of NXIVM/ESP to be the signatories on bank accounts that she subsequently controlled.
It was Nancy who hid the cash that was siphoned off from all of NXIVM/ESP’s operations (FBI agents found more than $500,000 in cash when they searched her house – and, according to some reports, that represents only a quarter of the cash that she once ad on hand).
Some of the cash seized at Nancy Salzman’s former home
It was Nancy who knowingly failed to file proper tax returns for NXIVM/ESP or any of its related companies.
It was Nancy who failed to issue 1099 forms to any of NXIVM/ESP’s staff – thereby allowing them to avoid paying any taxes on the income they derived from the company.
It was Nancy who tried to extort more than $100,000 from Continental Airlines when she mistakenly left her laptop on one of its planes (At the time, she claimed that her salary was $10,000 per hour).
It was Nancy who set up the illegal “bundling” operation via which NXIVM/ESP made political donations for which they were later reimbursed by NXIVM/ESP – and it was Nancy who personally delivered the illegal contributions to the political candidates.
It was Nancy who went on shopping sprees with her illegal $40,000/year “clothing allowance”.
It was Nancy who sent out an annual list of high-end gifts that she would like to receive as birthday presents.
It was Nancy who preached that breast cancer was caused by low self-esteem.
It was Nancy who had various NXIVM/ESP staff provide unpaid services for her as part of their punishment for having an “ethical breach”.
It was Nancy who spearheaded the attempt to break-up so many couples that got involved with NXIVM
It was Nancy who scornfully intimidated any NXIVM/ESP student who had the temerity to question any of Raniere’s teachings.
It was Nancy who perjured herself on numerous occasions when she was questioned, under oath, about NXIVM’s operations.
It was Nancy who claimed to have a Master’s Degree even though she had only graduated from a 2-year nursing program.
It was Nancy who claimed to be a Psychiatric Nurse even though she was not.
It was Nancy who also claimed to be a Psychotherapist even though that is not a recognized profession in New York State – and even though she had no formal training in psychotherapy.
It was Nancy who admitted to overseeing the illegal hacking of the computer accounts of some of NXIVM’s enemies.
It was Nancy who oversaw the operation that resulted in the editing of videotapes that had been subpoenaed in the Rick Ross litigation.
It was Nancy who maintained all the information and records that agents of NXIVM/ESP had illegally obtained on judges, politicians, and others.
It was Nancy who ordered her two daughters to cut off all contact with their father because he refused to fire one of his employees who had fallen into disfavor with NXIVM/ESP.
And it was Nancy who willingly allowed Raniere to turn her two daughters into two more of Raniere’s fuck-toys.
Michelle, Nancy and Lauren Salzman
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How Much Time Should Nancy Serve in Federal Prison?
So, how much time should Nancy spend behind bars for all of her misdeeds and crimes?
I could easily argue that 20-years would be appropriate.
She was for many years the driving force behind the company and its day-to-day operations – and without her, NXIVM/ESP would never have grown into the criminal syndicate it became.
She demanded adoration and obedience in her role as Prefect.
She meted out harsh punishments without a second thought.
She sacrificed her two daughters in order to appease Raniere.
On second thought, 20-years in prison may not be enough punishment for Nancy Salzman.
Danbury Federal Women’s Prison
