Where are they now? All the major players in NXIVM, an alleged sex cult covered up as a self-help group

Raniere — who officially founded NXIVM in 1998 alongside nurse and hypnotist Nancy Salzman — had his followers refer to him as "Vanguard."

He falsely told followers that he was a scientist and that he had created a unique self-help method that would help anyone achieve their personal and professionals aspirations.

In reality, Raniere rebranded real psychological methods used in therapy and used them to elicit private information from his followers that he later wielded as blackmail, according to former members.

He also created a secret sorority for women within NXIVM called DOS, where women were branded with his initials and some were manipulated into being Raniere's sex slaves.

After multiple members left the group, pressed charges, and spoke out for a 2017 New York Times exposé of the group, Raniere fled to Mexico where he was arrested in 2018.

Raniere was charged with sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor in Brooklyn in June 2019.

His sentencing is scheduled for October 27, and he faces life in prison.

Clare Bronfman, a NXIVM executive board member and Seagram's liquor heiress, was sentenced to 81 months in prison on September 30, on charges of concealing immigrants and ID fraud.

During her Brooklyn court appearance, Bronfman was also issued a fine of more than $500,000 and ordered to pay more than $96,000 to a migrant she brought to the US from Mexico, according to court documents previously obtained by Insider.

Bronfman joined NXIVM, an alleged sex cult billed as a multi-level marketing company for self-improvement courses, in 2003 and rose to the top of its ranks as an executive board member 15 years later.

Before her prison sentence, Bronfman spent nearly $50 million on lawsuits on behalf of NXIVM. When former NXIVM members left the organization and spoke about the manipulation tactics its leaders used, they were often bombarded with lawsuits.

The prosecution said Bronfman promised one of the migrants $3,600 a month for her work, but the woman, identified as Jane Doe, only received $4,195 total of the $96,000 she was promised.

Bronfman was also charged with ID fraud after pleading guilty for using the credit card and bank information of someone who had been dead for 15 months, racking up $135,000 in bills.

Bronfman was previously charged with racketeering, which she denied, in 2018. After posting bail for $100 million, she was released on house arrest.

Edmondson, a Vancouver-based actress, was part of NXIVM for 15 years, and joined when she felt her acting career was at a standstill and was feeling lost. She eventually was appointed the head of NXIVM's Vancouver office.

It wasn't until her friend and fellow NXIVM member Lauren Salzman, the daughter of top-ranking leader and psychologist Nancy Salzman, convinced Edmondson to join the secret sorority DOS that she woke up to Raniere's brainwashing.

Edmondson was held down and branded with Raniere's initials as part of an initiation ceremony. At the time, she was told the brand, which was done without anesthetic, symbolized elements in nature.

After that, she told her husband and fellow NXIVM member, Anthony "Nippy" Ames, about what happened, and they left the cult together. She first shared a detailed account of her experiences on the podcast "Escaping NXIVM," before writing a memoir called "Scarred," and becoming a key voice in HBO's docuseries "The Vow."

She told Insider that she uses every speaking opportunity she can to share her story so that others don't fall into the same trap.

Today, Edmondson lives with Ames and their two young children in Vancouver.

Edmondson regularly sees a therapist to work through the trauma she endured during her time with the cult.

Mack, known for her role in the television show "Smallville," moved from Los Angeles to Albany, New York, where NXIVM is headquartered, in 2o11 to be closer to Raniere.

There, she became one of the leaders of DOS and played an integral role in branding DOS women and making them Raniere's sex slaves, which she admitted during her court hearing in 2019.

Former members who were branded also allege that "AM," Mack's initials are also contained in the brands they received.

After she was arrested in 2018 and put on house arrest for a year, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. She could be sentenced up to 40 years in prison.

Salzman met Raniere through her mother who helped co-found the group.

In 2001, she began a secret sexual relationship with Raniere, and later helped him recruit women to DOS and run the sorority.

She plead guilty in March 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and keeping a sex slave locked in a room for two years. Salzman is awaiting her sentencing, which was postponed due to the pandemic. She faces up to 20 years in prison.

Members referred to Salzman, Raniere's counterpart, as "Prefect."

She was featured in many video tutorials used in NXIVM courses, and lead Jness, a women's group that was the gateway into the secret sorority DOS for some members.

In 2019, she plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy after stealing former members' identities, hacking into their emails, and altering video footage to avoid lawsuits against NXIVM.

Salzman broke her allegiance to Raniere for a shorter sentencing, Esquire reported. She faces of between 33 and 41 months in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Oxenberg joined NXIVM on the recommendation of her mother, "Dynasty" actress Catherine Oxenberg, after she dropped out of college and felt lost about her next steps.

After five years there, she was recruited to DOS and forced to have sex with Raniere for two years.

Much of "The Vow" focuses on her mother's quest to rescue Oxenberg from the cult.

One she realized she'd been brainwashed, Oxenberg turned over flash-drive evidence to the FBI that proved the brands contained Raniere's initials.

Oxenberg produced a docuseries on Starz about her experience in DOS and the first episode aired on October 18. She also wrote a memoir.

She now sees a therapist and a specialist who help her boost the critical thinking she lost during her time in NXIVM, takes boxing classes to physically release her anger, and is planning a wedding with her fiance while living in Los Angeles.

A mandala tattoo now covers the brand forced on her.

• Read more:
• Seagram's heiress Clare Bronfman has been sentenced to almost 7 years in prison for her involvement in the NXIVM cult
• The 3 main personality traits of cult leaders, according to a cult-recovery therapist
• 3 reasons why people join cults, according to a cult-recovery therapist
• How a married couple who escaped NXIVM is rebuilding their relationship from scratch after leaving the cult