Clare Bronfman, heir to the Seagram’s liquor fortune, pleaded guilty Friday to harboring an illegal immigrant and enabling credit card fraud related to the infamous upstate New York sex-cult NXIVM, according to reports.
“Your honor, I was afforded a great gift from my grandfather and father,” the heiress said in Brooklyn’s federal court, Page Six reported. “It comes with a greater responsibility to uphold the law.”
Authorities charged Bronfman, 40, as one of several involved with an alleged sex-cult called NXIVM. She entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, according to Reuters.
In her allocution, she confessed to helping the group use a deceased woman’s credit card and to using a fake work visa to obtain the services of an undocumented worker.
Bronfman agreed not to appeal any prison sentence of under 27 months as part of the plea deal. She also agreed to forfeit $6 million and may have to pay additional restitution.
The alleged sex-cult organization was founded as a “self-help” group. It closed operations in 2018 after the arrest of several leaders on forced labor and sex-trafficking charges.
The case attracted national attention after “Smallville” celebrity Allison Mack pleaded guilty to charges related to her involvement with the group. In addition, it was alleged that 2020 presidential candidate and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s father lobbied for the group in 2004.
Bronfman’s sentencing will be July 25. She faces a maximum sentence of 25 years for both charges.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
A Democratic governor who once took credit for stopping two gas pipelines said during a…
There is little debate that the New Democrats despise this country. They hold America in…
While the world cannot be certain that there will ever be another war between major…
A majority of older adults in the U.S. spend very little time researching Medicare policies…
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s potential denaturalization and deportation could create legal challenges for legislation…
Two of America’s top artificial intelligence companies now have a federal government agency looking over…