Prominent NXIVM cult leader Lauren Salzman avoids jail time after 'extraordinary' cooperation
Source: NBC News
Prominent NXIVM cult leader Lauren Salzman avoids jail time after 'extraordinary' cooperation
She was a key aide to guru Keith Raniere and had been looking at a possible prison term.
July 28, 2021, 2:08 PM EDT
By David K. Li
A federal judge sentenced Lauren Salzman, a high-ranking leader of an upstate New York sex cult, to five years of probation on Wednesday, following her "extraordinary" assistance to prosecutors.
The loyal follower and inner-circle confidante of NXIVM (pronounced "nexium" ) founder Keith Raniere had been looking at a prison term of seven to nine years.
But prosecutors had urged Brooklyn-based U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis to consider a lesser sentence due to her help in bringing down Raniere, who was convicted on charges that included sex trafficking for forcing women in the group into having sex with him.
In addition to probation, Salzman was also ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.
In a memo to Judge Garaufis two weeks ago, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanya Hajjar wrote: "The extent of Lauren Salzman's cooperation and the significance of her assistance to the government were extraordinary."
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