“Escaping The NXIVM Cult”

April 12, 2023

Catherine Oxenberg Who Saved Her Daughter India

The true story of a Mother who helped bring down NXIVM

On the surface the organization marketed itself as a self-help group and offered courses to individuals and organizations that were designed to help people attain personal and professional success.

Catherine Oxenberg, who played the role of Amanda Carrington on the prime time TV soap opera “Dynasty” from 1984-1986, claimed that NXIVM ‘brainwashed’ her daughter India Oxenberg. Her Mother is Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia who is a second cousin to King Charles III

“Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Daughter” is based on a true story. The film is a dramatization of the experiences of Catherine Oxenberg and her daughter, India, who was a member of the NXIVM organization.

One of the former NXIVM slaves testified that Catherine Oxenberg spent a year on a 500-calorie-a-day diet while in Nxivm’s secret sex cult.

After Catherine became concerned about her daughter’s involvement with the group, she conducted her own investigation and eventually worked with law enforcement to bring down NXIVM’s leadership. The movie portrays Catherine’s efforts to rescue her daughter from the organization and her collaboration with other former members and law enforcement officials.

While the movie takes some creative liberties with the true story, it is based on real events and highlights the dangers of cults and the importance of persistence and courage when fighting against them.

Keith Raniere

Keith Raniere, leader of sex cult Nxivm, sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman founded NXIVM in 1998 – the cult was a running success for in the US for 20 years! It was marketed as a self-help group that offered courses to individuals and organizations designed to help people attain personal and professional success.

Before his FBI arrest – Leader: Keith Raniere claims he is simply running a self-help group and denies claims that he has a harem of women who willingly sleep with him, believing that they will ‘be healed’ by having sex with him, and calling him ‘Vanguard’.

Clare Bronfman

Heiress to the Seagram’s liquor fortune, Clare Bronfman was one of the top leaders of Nxivm. She served on the group’s executive board and used her wealth to fund its activities. According to court documents, Bronfman was deeply involved in Nxivm’s operations and was aware of its controversial practices, such as branding women and manipulating members through threats and intimidation.

In 2018, Bronfman was arrested and indicted on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and identity theft, among other crimes, related to her involvement in Nxivm. In 2020, she pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to conceal and harbor an undocumented immigrant for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification, but maintained her innocence with regard to the overarching allegations against Nxivm. Bronfman was sentenced to six years in prison in September 2020.

Additionally, she admitted to her role in NXIVM’s criminal activities, including enabling Keith Raniere’s abusive behavior towards members of the organization.

In 2010 Vanity Fair wrote an article portraying Clare Bronfman and her sister Sara as victims of the cult NXIVM, claiming the cult had swallowed 150 Million dollars from the sisters – with the headline – “The Heiresses and the Cult” https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/11/bronfman-201011

Sara Bronfman

Sara was never charged! Sara Bronfman did not receive a prison sentence for her activities with NXIVM. Some speculate that she may have cooperated with authorities and provided information that helped with the prosecution of other prominent members of the organization.

Sara Bronfman, the younger sister of Clare Bronfman, was also a high-ranking member of Nxivm. She served on its executive board and was reportedly one of its largest financial contributors, using her inheritance from the Seagram’s liquor fortune to fund the group’s activities.

Bronfman was particularly involved in Nxivm’s outreach efforts and, with her sister, founded the Nxivm-affiliated organization the Ethical Science Foundation. She also helped to launch and finance Nxivm centers in Mexico and elsewhere.

Bronfman has not been charged with any crimes related to her involvement in Nxivm but was named in a civil lawsuit brought by several former Nxivm members who alleged that she and others helped to enable and cover up the group’s abuse and exploitation of members. In 2020, Bronfman issued a public apology for her role in Nxivm, stating that she had been “wrong about everything.”

Nancy Salzman – Students were expected to call Nancy “Prefect,” which typically stands for a chief officer

Sentenced to 42 months in prison.

Nancy Salzman, was one of the co-founders of NXIVM along with Keith Raniere. She played a significant role in the development of the organization, including the creation of its unique approach to self-help and personal development. Salzman was also responsible for training coaches and counselors for the organization’s various programs.

However, like Raniere, Salzman was implicated in several illegal activities as part of her involvement with NXIVM. In March 2019, she pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, admitting to her role in facilitating the illegal activities within the group. Salzman was eventually sentenced to 42 months in prison for her involvement in the NXIVM scandal.

The co-founder and president of accused upstate sex cult Nxivm admitted to hacking into emails of the group’s perceived enemies and destroying evidence that could be used against th cult.

Lauren Salzman – Daughter of Nancy Salzman

Sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Yes, Lauren Salzman was heavily involved with NXIVM. She was the daughter of Nancy Salzman, one of the co-founders of the organization, and became one of Keith Raniere’s top lieutenants within the group. Lauren was responsible for recruiting new members to the organization and was also one of the leaders of the secretive women’s group within NXIVM known as DOS, which primarily operated as a sex trafficking ring.

In 2019, Lauren Salzman pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy in relation to her involvement with DOS, where she admitted to keeping slaves under her control and engaging in illegal activities to maintain her power within the group. She was later sentenced to five years of probation for her role in the NXIVM scandal.

Allison Mack

Allison Mack – Actress known for her role on “Smallville”, was a high-ranking member of Nxivm and involved in its inner circle, known as “DOS” or “The Vow.” Mack recruited and trained members for the secret society, which she purported to be a women’s empowerment group.

Allison Mack only received 3 years in prison – she sang like a canary!

Allison Mack cooperated with authorities early on in the investigation and pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. As part of her plea deal, she provided assistance to prosecutors (this is where her canary singing begins) and provided testimony against other members of NXIVM, including its leader Keith Raniere. This cooperation likely contributed to the reduced sentencing recommendation for Mack.

Secondly, the charges against Mack related specifically to her role in recruiting women into NXIVM’s secret society, DOS (Dominant Over Submissive). While the tactics used by Mack and others in this group were certainly manipulative and abusive, they were not identical to the more extreme abuses committed by Raniere himself. Mack also expressed genuine remorse for her actions and apologized to the victims of the organization, which likely influenced the judge’s decision.

Overall, while some may feel that Mack’s sentence was too lenient given the extent of harm caused by NXIVM, it is important to consider the specific circumstances of her case and the role she played in bringing the organization to justice.

Cult figure: Allison Mack is part of the NXIVM organization and has been accused of being part of the sex cult critics say operates inside it. The Smallville star  35, most recently had a voice role in Amazon animation Los in Oz.

What Was NXIVM?

NXIVM pronounced “Nexium”, Keith Allen Raniere an American criminal convicted for a pattern of racketeering activity including human trafficking, sex offences and fraud. He co-founded NXIVM, a purported-self-help multi-level marketing company offering personal development seminars and headquartered in Albany, New York. Operating from 1998 to 2018, at its height, NXIVM had 700 members, including celebrities and the wealthy.  

Keith Raniere was referred to as Vanguard by his followers because he claimed to be a spiritual leader and the founder of a group called NXIVM (pronounced “Nexium”). He convinced his followers that he was a special, enlightened being who could guide them to their full potential through his teachings and practices.

Raniere believed that he had unique insights into human potential and the nature of the universe, and he presented himself as a visionary and a mentor. His followers held him in high regard and saw him as a charismatic leader, referring to him as Vanguard as a sign of their loyalty and respect.

However, it was later revealed that Raniere had used his position of power to manipulate and exploit his followers, engaging in illegal activities including sex trafficking, forced labor, and extortion. He was arrested in 2018 and later convicted on multiple criminal charges.

The use of the term Vanguard was seen by many as a way for Raniere to reinforce his control over his followers and to create a cult-like atmosphere in which dissent was discouraged and blind obedience was expected.

In NXIVM, Raniere was referred to by members as “Vanguard”.

The term “vanguard” has military origins from the old French word “avant-garde,” meaning “advance guard” or “front guard.” In military strategy, the vanguard is a group of soldiers that is deployed at the front of an advancing army, leading the way into potentially dangerous territory.

The term “vanguard” is often used outside of military contexts to refer to a group of people who are at the forefront of a movement or initiative, leading the way into uncharted territory or new ideas. This is likely the connotation that Keith Raniere was trying to evoke when he referred to himself as Vanguard. He saw himself as a leader and visionary who was leading his followers into a new way of living and thinking about the world.

The Dalai Lama was paid $1 million to travel to America to endorse a controversial ‘sex cult’ that brainwashes and brands women

Branded: These are some of the signs which have been branded on women in the ‘cult’, according to whistleblower Frank Parlato. He says that the signs are designed to have the letters KR for Keith Raniere, or AM for Allison Mack, the Smallville actress who is also involved in it.

The religious leader was paid to speak at an event hosted by NXIVM – a self-help organization described by former members as a ‘sex cult’.

The deal saw the Dalai Lama speak to 3,000 followers of NXIVM and place a khata – a traditional ceremonial Tibetan scarf – around the neck of the group’s founder, Keith Raniere.

Raniere’s supporters described the visit by the Buddhist leader as a ‘victory’.

Former computer programmer Raniere founded NXIVM in 1998, as a ‘personal and professional development program’ which he sold as Executive Success Programs, alongside his business partner, ex-nurse Nancy Salazman. It is pronounced ‘nexium’.

 The Dalai Lama appeared on stage at an event hosted by NXIVM after Sara Bronfman, (circled) billionaire heiress to the Seagram fortune, visited the Buddhist leader as part of a delegation which offered him $1 million to attend the Albany, new York, gathering.

 the front row: As the Dalai Lama spoke, the controversial leader of NXIVM was sitting closest to the stage. He is now accused of running a sex cult which brands women and treats them as his personal sexual property.

Relationship: Sara Bronfman is said in court papers to have been the lover of Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the Dalai Lama’s emissary to the United States. He was removed from his post in November over allegations of corruption.

PR triumph: Pictures from the event were released by the ‘World Ethical Foundations Consortium’, which is part of NXIVM

The ambitious group holds seminars and training programs for people ‘concerned with developing their skills’ and claims to have worked with more than 16,000 people in 30 countries.

But in recent years NXIVM has been exposed as a ‘sex cult’ with several former members lifting the lid on its dark side.

Some members are allegedly blackmailed, branded and beaten with paddles and at least two Hollywood actresses are among 70 to 80 women ‘trapped’ in the group.

Raniere also has a group of wealthy female recruits – including Seagram heiresses Sara and Clare Bronfman – who have plowed millions of dollars into NXIVM’s unorthodox practices.

Now DailyMail.com can disclose the extraordinary steps NXIVM execs have taken to further the NXIVM cause worldwide.

The pièce de résistance of their grand plan to make NXIVM a global brand was to convince the Dalai Lama to speak at an event they were hosting in Albany, New York in 2009.

The plot involved wooing the Tibetan Buddhist leader’s American aide; expensive gifts and foreign travel; an alleged steamy affair with the heiress to a drinks fortune, and claims of broken vows of celibacy.

It raises questions over exactly what the Dalai Lama was told before he appeared at the event in NXIVM’s hometown, and whether he was duped into giving a powerful propaganda victory to an organization under increasing scrutiny for its treatment of women.

DailyMail.com has learned that the deal was set up by the Dalai Lama’s self-styled ‘personal emissary of peace’ to the U.S., Lama Tenzin Dhonden. He was replaced last month amid accusations of corruption.

The Dalai Lama Trust removed Dhonden as its executive secretary, pending an investigation, following claims that the monk abused his position as a gatekeeper to the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

According to court testimony Dhonden and Sara Bronfman were ‘closely associated’ and Dhonden agreed to help promote NXIVM. 

The monk arranged for Bronfman and her sister Clare Bronfman as well as Nancy Salzman, president of NXIVM, to travel to Dharmsala in India to meet with the Dalai Lama.

There they expressed their desire to invite His Holiness to Albany to meet controversial NXIVM leader Raniere and offered to make a suitable contribution to the Dalai Lama for his worthwhile causes.

DailyMail.com understands that offer exceeded $1million.

But, according to sources, what had been planned as a four-day trip to the U.S. visiting prestigious colleges alongside Raniere was suddenly cancelled after local media in Albany, N.Y., highlighted the Dalai Lama’s upcoming visit to the ‘cult’. 

Island retreat: Sarah Bronfman traveled with other family members and the Dalai Lama’s representative, Lama Tonzin Dohnden who was allegedly her lover, to Necker in the British Virgin Islands, where she spent time with its owner, Virgin billionaire Sir Richard Branson.

Lama Tenzin Dhonden, the Dalai Lama’s emissary to the United States, was on Necker not just with Sara Bronfman, his alleged lover, but also with her mother Georgina Bronfman, who is married to British actor Nigel Havers.

Also on the Necker trip with Lama Tenzin Dhonden, was Allison Mack, actress who is claimed to be deputy leader of the NXIVM’ cult’

Triumph: The endorsement of the Dalai Lama included writing a foreword to The Sphinx Thelxiepeia, a book by Keith Raniere.

Right hand man: Lama Tendzin Dhoden was the Dalai Lama’s long-term representative in the United States but was removed from his office over claims of corrupt

Conclusion

It took 20 years to take down the NXIVM cult that had 700 members at its peak. Thanks to Catherine Oxenberg’s persistence to get her daughter back justice has been served for most of the the villains.

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