2020年1月7日星期二

Nxivm leader Keith Raniere’s sentencing postponed again

A federal judge has canceled the Jan. 17 sentencing for Nxivm sex-slave cult leader Keith Raniere, postponing it again to a yet-to-be-determined date.

Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who is presiding over the case against Raniere and several of his Nxivm adherents, gave the order Thursday, saying a necessary report recommending a sentence for the disgraced guru still isn’t ready.
Marc Agnifilo, Raniere’s attorney, told The Post the federal probation department is supposed to present the report to defense attorneys and prosecutors 35 days prior to sentencing, but it had not done so as of Thursday.
Raniere, who was convicted in June on a slew of charges including racketeering and sex trafficking, faces a 15-year mandatory minimum prison term and a maximum sentence of life behind bars.

During the trial, witnesses testified that he oversaw a sex-slave ring called DOS within the purported self-help organization where women were forced to have sex with Raniere and get his initials branded on their bodies.
This is not the first time that Raniere’s sentencing has run into delays — he was previously set to learn his fate on Sept. 25, but Garaufis postponed the sentencing then, too, also citing the report.

Nxivm follower and Seagram booze heiress Clare Bronfman, who bankrolled the group with her family fortune, is set to be sentenced on Feb. 14 for her role in the upstate outfit. She pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to harbor immigrants for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification.

Bookkeeper Kathy Russell and top members Lauren Salzman, Nancy Salzman and Allison Mack — the former “Smallville” actress — also pleaded guilty to Nxivm-related charges prior to Raniere’s trial.
Russell is slated to be sentenced on Jan. 29. Dates for the other defendants have yet to be determined.

没有评论:

发表评论

What’s that? A look at the Epoch Times billboards popping up across Michigan

An Epoch Times billboard on I-196 west of Grand Rapids. (Photo by Rose White | MLive)Rose White | MLive By Rose White | rwhite@mlive.com The...