Previously, we looked at which of the six current defendants in the NXIVM criminal case were likely to get a reduced-sentence plea deal with the Feds – and concluded that Nancy Salzman is the only one who has likely already secured a seat on the Plea Deal Bus.
But we also noted that Nancy might be able to obtain a seat for her daughter and co-defendant Lauren Salzman – and that the Feds may be willing to give the hapless Kathy Russell a seat, provided she agrees to help them track down the myriad of shell companies that were set up by Keith Raniere and Clare Bronfman – and provide details about all the cash that was smuggled into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico by NXIVM’s mules.
So what about some of the other potential targets of what has turned into a massive criminal investigation? Are any of them likely to get a seat on the Plea Deal Bus?
Let’s take a look at some of the candidates…
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Emiliano Salinas: Along with Raniere, Allison Mack, and Clare Bronfman, Emiliano has to be considered as a “high-value target” — which greatly reduces the chance of him getting a reduced-sentence plea deal. In large part, his status is related to the fact that his father, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, is the former President of Mexico (Carlos is also reputed to be in charge of one of the largest drug cartels in that country). He was also directly in charge of many of NXIVM’s illegal operations in Mexico.
So, can Emiliano get himself a deal – and ride off into the sunset with Nancy and Lauren? Probably not.
But Emiliano may get an even bigger break if his daddy is able to line up enough influence at the Department of Justice. In that scenario, Emiliano would get indicted but the DOJ would not seek to extradite him from Mexico. So, no more trips to see his NXIVM buddies but also no jail time.
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Karen Unterreiner: Many believe that Karen was the first one to get on the bus – and is now driving it. If that’s the case, then hapless Kathy Russell may not be offered a seat even if she comes to her senses and stops protecting her Vanguard.
Karen was the real brains behind the complex financial empire that Raniere and Bronfman constructed over the past twenty years. And she is rumored to have kept copies of all sorts of documents and records.
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Sarah Edmondson: Even though she was heavily involved in NXIVM operations for well over a decade – and profited from that involvement – she is not going to be prosecuted for anything. That’s because it was her willingness to expose the whole sordid story of the DOS brandings by going “on the record” with The New York Times – and even allowing the newspaper to print a Page-1 picture of her brand – that played a major role in the Eastern District of New York stepping up to take on the Raniere/Bronfman crime syndicate (Prior to Sarah doing that, the only media outlet that was writing about the brandings – and NXIVM’s other criminal activities – was the Frank Report).
The bottom line for Sarah is that she’s not going to need any kind of plea deal. But she’ll likely be called as a prosecution witness at the trial.
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Mark Vicente: Much like Sarah, Mark was heavily involved in NXIVM’s operations for a long period of time – and also profited from that involvement. But just like Sarah, he will not be prosecuted for anything.
Once Mark left NXIVM, he immediately began trying to bring Raniere and the criminal enterprise down. He has reputedly helped the Feds with their case – and he has a treasure trove of materials concerning NXIVM’s operations that might be used at trial. He is also likely to be called as a witness
The bottom line for Mark is that he’s not going to need any kind of plea deal. But he may be required to authenticate some of the documents, records, and tapes that are used as evidence at the trial.
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Kristin Keeffe: Even though Kristin was heavily involved in NXIVM’s abusive use of the legal system to punish and ruin anyone who was considered to be an enemy of the cult, it also appears unlikely that she’ll be charged with anything. In order to get that status, however, she may be required to testify against Raniere and anyone else who decidess to go to trial.
The bottom line for Kristin is that she’s not going to need any kind of plea deal. But she may have to testify at the trial.
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Steve Ose & Ben Meyers: It appears quite likely that the Feds will grant a reduced-sentence plea deal – and maybe even a no jail time deal – to one, but not both, of these guys. While Ose could probably offer much more information in terms of all the computer-related crimes that were carried out at the command of Keith and Clare – especially because he was the one who perpetrated many of those crimes – Ben may, in fact, have the inside track for the IT seat on the Plea Deal Bus. That’s because he’s married to Nancy Salzman’s other daughter, Michelle – and because he can provide some critical testimony concerning the 18-month illegal imprisonment of a woman who refused to become part of Raniere’s harem, the fraudulent criminal computer trespass charges that were brought against John Tighe, Toni Natalie and Joe O’Hara, and a bunch of other IT-related crimes.
The other factor weighing in Ben’s favor is that Ose has decided to take the ostrich approach to this whole matter. So, rather than hiring an attorney and exploring the possibility of getting a plea deal with the Feds, Ose has been hiding out in Texas – and hoping that the Feds will simply forget about him.
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In the next installment in this series, we’ll look at some of the politicians and other public officials who might be able to get a seat on the Plea Deal Bus…
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In addition to the various people that we are evaluating as potential candidates for a plea deal arrangement, there are many other people who could be charged with crimes related to their involvement with NXIVM and its various criminal enterprises – probably as many as 300 or more. But unless the DOJ’s staff in the Northern District of New York is allowed to bring charges against those people –which is something that they have been unwilling to do for almost two decades – it’s unlikely that many of them will ever be charged.
Right now, it appears that every aspect of the NXIVM case is being controlled by the EDNY – and that the NDNY staff are being treated like red-headed stepchildren. That appears totally appropriate – especially since some of those NDNY staff might even be potential defendants themselves.