NXIVM President Nancy Salzman to plead guilty

Unclear if she will cooperate with federal prosecutors

By Brendan J. Lyons Updated 6:04 pm EDT, Tuesday, March 12, 2019

ALBANY — NXIVM President Nancy Salzman is scheduled to plead guilty to an undisclosed felony crime on Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, signaling a major victory in the Justice Department's criminal prosecution of the organization's leaders.

Salzman, who is suffering from health problems, would become the first person convicted in the case. She was indicted last year along with NXIVM co-founder Keith Raniere; television actress Allison Mack; Salzman's daughter, Lauren; Clare Bronfman, the organization's operations director and an heiress of the Seagram's liquor empire; and Kathy Russell, a longtime bookkeeper for NXIVM.

Last July, federal agents in Albany arrested Salzman and her daughter along with Russell. Bronfman was taken into custody that same day by federal agents in New York City.

Raniere and Mack were arrested a year ago. A criminal trial is scheduled to begin April 29 in Brooklyn.

A seven-count superseding indictment, unsealed last summer, charged the six defendants with a multitude of crimes including money laundering, extortion, identity theft, harboring of aliens for financial gain, forced labor, sex trafficking and wire fraud.

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