Nxivm suit vs. 2nd heir
Bronfman sister hit
Two former students of accused sex-cult leader Keith Raniere are suing an alleged Seagram’s heiress disciple — and she’s not Clare Bronfman.
Bronfman’s sister, Sara Bronfman-Igtet, is instead the target of the Brooklyn Supreme Court class-action suit, which claims she “ensnared’’ Isabella Martinez, Gabrielle Leal and others in “a fraudulent scheme nationwide” as part of Raniere’s cult Nxivm.
Clare has already been charged with federal conspiracy raps involving Nxivm, with the feds alleging she provided hefty financial backing for Raniere’s alleged sex network while conspiring to commit crimes with him. The sisters are the daughters of late billionaire Seagram’s CEO Edgar Bronfman.
The new suit claims Bronfman-Igtet’s role included reeling in patsies who would shell out big bucks to participate in classes equivalent to a “practical MBA.’’
Bronfman-Igtet touted Raniere’s own repeated proclamations that he “1) was one of the world’s smartest men; 2) began talking in complete sen-sentences by age 1; 3) was an East Coast judo champion at age 12; 4) tied the New York state record for the 100-yard dash in high school; and 5) had a very rare problem-solving ability that allowed him to create a curriculum to assist others with their business projects,’’ the suit says. The plain-in-tiffs’ lawyer, Omar Rosales,, railed, “It’s alll a lie. It’s all a scam.” The suit says the Nxivm courses were simply a scheme meant to “defraud students out of millions of dollars with classes that had no end, no graduation, no certification and no credential.”
Martinez and Leal say they separately shelled out $2,400 for a five-day intensive set of Nxivm classes in San Francisco in 2016 — but never would have have spent the money if Bronfman-Igtet not lied to them.
Bronfman-Igtet, who lives in France, could not be reached for comment.