[ot] Fwd: NXIVM's Nancy Salzman released from federal prison

[Undescribed Horrific Abuse, One Victim & Survivor of Many]

nxivm was a high profile [rape cult] involving celebrities that was
busted some years ago, i don’t know much about it

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2023 09:33:39 -0400
Subject: NXIVM's Nancy Salzman released from federal prison

NXIVM's Nancy Salzman released from federal prison

Halfmoon woman known as "Prefect" released to halfway house after serving
less than 20 months for 3 1/2 year sentence

 <https://www.timesunion.com/author/robert-gavin/>

Times Union

Robert Gavin

Sep. 7, 2023



ALBANY — Former NXIVM president Nancy Salzman is out of federal prison less
than 20 months into her 3½ year sentence for admitted crimes as Keith
Raniere’s top deputy in the cult-like personal growth organization.

The 69-year-old Salzman, formerly of Halfmoon, was expected to be relocated
Thursday to a halfway house in Albany, according to a letter from the
federal Bureau of Prisons sent to NXIVM victims that was obtained by the
Times Union.

In September 2021, Senior U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis sentenced
Salzman to the prison term and fined her $150,000 based on her earlier
guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy. Salzman reported to federal prison
in February 2022. As recently as this week, the Bureau of Prison’s website
listed Salzman as an inmate in a federal lockup in Hazelton, W.Va. Her
release date had been listed as July 2, 2024.

On Thursday, the website updated Salzman’s status to say she was “not in BOP
custody.” Salzman’s new release date was listed as June 17, 2024. In
mid-July, federal court filings showed Salzman was scheduled to be released
to a halfway house under the 2018 First Step Act, which allows federal
inmates to request compassionate release after they exhaust administrative
requests through the prison system.

On Thursday afternoon, a woman working at the halfway house where Salzman is
expected to be living tersely told the Times Union that Salzman was not
there, and asked a reporter to leave.

A native of Cranford, N.J., who had worked as a nurse, Salzman co-founded
NXIVM and its Executive Success Programs with Raniere in 1998. Over the next
two decades, she served as president of the secretive Colonie-based
organization as it added locations in Mexico, Canada, Los Angeles, the
Pacific Northwest and Europe.

Visitors to NXIVM’s headquarters on New Karner Road in Colonie were greeted
by photos of Salzman, known as “Prefect,” and Raniere, known as “Vanguard.”
While Salzman held the position of president, Raniere was NXIVM’s
unquestioned leader.  She preached the teachings of Raniere, who she had for
a period been romantically involved with, to NXIVM students — even passing
along his claims that children are “perfectly happy” having sex with adults
and that women experience “freedom” during rape.

Salzman instructed NXIVM members that anyone challenging Raniere or NXIVM,
including family members and friends, were “suppressives” to be avoided.
Former NXIVM insiders have described Salzman as Raniere’s enforcer but also
a victim of his cruelty and manipulation. She was not involved in Raniere’s
secret “master/slave” group, Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS), which
ultimately led federal prosecutors in Brooklyn to charge Raniere.

In 2018, Salzman was among six NXIVM defendants, including Raniere, charged
in a sweeping racketeering indictment. All but Raniere pleaded guilty. In
June 2019, jurors convicted Raniere on all counts of sex trafficking, forced
labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and racketeering counts with
underling acts of extortion, identity theft and possession of child
pornography.

Raniere, 63, is serving a 120-year prison sentence in Tucson, Ariz.

Salzman, the first defendant to plead guilty, admitted she doctored tapes
that were evidence in a lawsuit in which NXIVM had sued cult expert Rick
Ross and faced counterclaims. Salzman admitted she conspired to commit
identity theft when she tried to obtain names and passwords of email
accounts of NXIVM’s perceived enemies, information kept in files kept in the
basement of her upscale Oregon Trail home.

Salzman’s daughter, Lauren Salzman, a former high-ranking member of NXIVM
and DOS, pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges.
Lauren Salzman, a star witness for prosecutors, received five years of
probation. Also pleading guilty were actress Allison Mack, who pleaded to
racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and provided information for
prosecutors; Seagrams heiress Clare Bronfman, who pleaded to conspiring to
conceal and harbor undocumented immigrants for financial gain, and
fraudulent use of identification; and NXIVM bookkeeper Kathy Russell, who
pleaded to visa fraud.

Salzman is the second defendant to be released from prison. Mack was
released in early July. Bronfman, who has remained staunchly loyal to
Raniere, is expected to be released in June 2025.

Salzman offered an account of her actions and what she portrayed as her
ultimate recognition of Raniere's corruption in a series of interviews in
the second season of HBO's NXIVM documentary series "The Vow."

Written By

Robert Gavin

Reach Robert on

Robert Gavin covers state and federal courts, criminal justice issues and
legal affairs for the Times Union. Contact him at rgavin at timesunion.com.



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ral-prison-18353161.php