Clare Bronfman


Clare Bronfman is an American heiress and former equestrian. She is the youngest daughter of billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram liquor chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr. Bronfman is notable for her involvement in NXIVM, a business involved with criminal activities that lead to indictments on federal charges including sex trafficking.
On April 19, 2019, Bronfman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal and harbor illegal aliens for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification. She faces several months in prison when sentenced.

Background

Bronfman is the daughter of Canadian billionaire Edgar Bronfman, Sr. and Rita Webb, the daughter of an English pub owner from Essex, England. Bronfman's parents met in Marbella, Spain. The two married in 1975, two years after Edgar Bronfman's divorce from his first wife. Webb gave birth to Sara the following year, and had Clare two-and-a-half years later. Shortly after Clare's birth, Webb--who had renamed herself Georgiana--asked Edgar for a divorce. They remarried in 1983, but again divorced. After their parents' second divorce, the girls visited their father at his estates outside Charlottesville, Virginia, and in Westchester County; his home in Sun Valley; and his apartment on Fifth Avenue. However, they resided in England and in Kenya with their mother. Bronfman is of Jewish ancestry on her father's side.

Equestrian career

In December 1999, Bronfman competed in the Millstreet Indoor International Horse Show, riding her horse Enchante against 56 other entrants, competing with accomplished equestrians, such as Katie Monaghan-Prudent, Tim Stockdale, Billy Twomey, and the winner, Robert Splaine.
In May 2001, Bronfman achieved her first victory in international competition, aboard Charlton. She won the Grand Prix at CSI-A Eindhoven, claiming the £10,000 winner's purse after a narrow victory over Dermott Lennon, who finished with the fastest time, but faulted on a jump.
Bronfman also participated in the World Final of the Samsung Nations Cup Series in Madrid on September 23, 2001, again aboard Charlton. As part of a team including Alice Debany Clero and Richard Spooner, she scored five faults in round one and none in round two, helping the team place seventh in the competition.
On May 26, 2002, Bronfman won the Grand Prix in Rome, once again riding Charlton, when brought in as a last-minute replacement, owing to an injury sustained by a competing horse. Her teammate Laura Kraut finished second behind her; in a competition dominated by men, they were the only riders to participate in the jump-off after double clear rounds. Their team ended up placing sixth in the competition.
At the CSI-A competition in Bremen, Germany, in October 2002, Bronfman performed the best out of the five riders representing the U.S., aboard Lord William a Westphalian gelding. She placed second in the Der Joker competition, and in another class aboard Enchante, a Selle Francais gelding. In October, aboard Lord William, she won the speed and handiness competition. Bronfman placed 13th in the main competition, aboard Enchante, making her the highest-placing American in the competition, after Kaye Levy, who had placed 32nd overall.

NXIVM involvement and criminal prosecution

Through NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and her sister, Sara, Bronfman became involved in NXIVM's personal advancement program and "Executive Success Program" workshops. The sisters became committed followers and financial backers of NXIVM and Raniere, relocating to upstate New York to work as NXIVM trainers. Clare Bronfman also served as event coordinator for "Vanguard Week," an annual festival celebrating Raniere's birthday, stating that "the purpose of 'V Week' is to get the chance to experience a civilized world... craft for ourselves a more fulfilling, purposeful life."
In 2003, a Forbes magazine article reported that Edgar Bronfman, Sr. "once took a course" from NXIVM "and endorsed the program," but had not then "talked to his daughters in months and has grown troubled over the long hours and emotional and financial investment they have been devoting to Raniere's group. One daughter, Clare, 24, has lent the program $2 million, at 2.5% interest, the senior Bronfman says ". The Forbes pieces quoted Edgar Bronfman, Sr. as stating that he thought NXIVM was "a cult". Clare Bronfman eventually became "NXIVM's operations director and one of its largest financial contributors".
In 2007, Bronfman and her sister, Sara Bronfman, formed a non-profit organization called the Ethical Humanitarian Foundation after it was "conceptualized" by Keith Raniere. Clare was listed as a being a trustee of the organization The group claims that its goal is to move humanity "towards a more noble civilization" by adopting a "humanity first foundation". She, Sara, and Keith Raniere also established a non-profit organization called the World Ethical Foundations Consortium. As part of their involvement in WEFC, Sara and Clare were credited with being able to bring the Dalai Lama to Albany to participate in the WEFC's inaugural event on May 6, 2009.
In 2018, Raniere and associate Allison Mack were arrested and indicted on several federal charges involving a cult alleged to operate within NXIVM; the charges included sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Bronfman was arrested by federal agents on July 24, 2018 in New York City and charged with money laundering and identity theft in connection with NXIVM activities. She pleaded not guilty in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. She was released on $100 million bond and placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring. Also charged were Bronfman's long-time mentor and NXIVM president Nancy Salzman; Salzman's daughter, NXIVM executive board member Lauren Salzman; and former NXIVM bookkeeper Kathy Russell. On April 19, 2019, Bronfman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal and harbor illegal aliens for financial gain and fraudulent use of identification. She faces 21 to 27 months in prison and has agreed to forfeit $6 million.