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The co-founder of an alleged New York sex cult pleaded guilty Wednesday in a case that features allegations of female "slaves" forced into having the spiritual leader's initials branded onto their flesh.
Nancy Salzman, 65, admitted to committing racketeering offenses, including identify theft, while working as president of the organization known as NXIVM.
Known to her followers as "Prefect," Salzman faces 33 to 41 months in prison. Her sentencing was set for July 10.
“I did things I knew were wrong and justified it was for the greater good," Salzman said in a hushed voiced during a hearing at Brooklyn Federal Court. "Some of what I did was not just wrong but criminal. If I could do it all over, I would."
Salzman and five other members, including "Smallville" actress Allison Mack and Seagram’s liquor fortune heiress Clare Bronfman, were indicted last July for their roles in running the controversial Albany-based group.
Supporters say it was a self-help group committed to changing the world. Prosecutors describe it as a criminal enterprise built around a pyramid scheme designed to enrich the top officials and supply the leader with a stable of sex "slaves."
Members paid thousands of dollars for NXIVM-sponsored classes promising personal and professional development. Prosecutors say the courses forced many into debt, drawing them into a multi-level marketing scheme that rewarded the recruitment of others with payments and increased status.
The group was led by a self-described ethicist named Keith Raniere, who prosecutors say used the organization to satisfy his sexual appetite.
Known to his followers as "Vanguard," Raniere is accused of creating a secret society within NXIVM that coerced women into having sex with him and having his initials branded into the skin below their hips.
The secret group was called DOS, an acronym for "Dominus Obsequious Sororium," which translates to "Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions," according to court papers.
Prosecutors say DOS masters groomed their slaves for sex with Raniere and forced them to turn over "collateral" — sexually explicit photos and damaging secrets — that would be made public if they ever disclosed the existence of the secret society.
Raniere denies that NXIVM was a cult or pyramid scheme and says any sexual relationships were consensual. He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering, trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Mack, 36, who prosecutors say recruited "slaves" for Raniere, pleaded not guilty to several charges including sex trafficking conspiracy, racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud.
Bronfman, 40, who prosecutors say helped bankroll the organization and is paying the legal fees for her co-defendants, pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit identity theft and other charges.
A trial is scheduled for mid-April.