This is the stunning Fijian island paradise that Seagram’s liquor heiress Clare Bronfman, stepdaughter of Nigel Havers, bought using her family’s fortune while allegedly financing Keith Rainere’s sex cult NXIVM.
Bronfman, who pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges on Tuesday, owns 80 per cent of Wakaya – a 3.1 square mile private island off the coast of Fiji – after acquiring the land for a staggering $47 million in 2016.
The island is believed to serve as a safe haven for the cult leaders in the event of prosecution, according to website Frank Report.
But the chances of Bronfman fleeing to her private resort now seem slim since she was placed on house arrest after posting $100 million bail.
This is the stunning Fijian Island owned by Seagram’s liquor heiress and NXIVM financier Clare Bronfman
Bronfman is said to own the tiny island of Wakaya – after purchasing it for $47 million in 2016
The island is partially owned by Canadian businessman David Gilmour – the founder of Fiji Water – who bought the island in 1973
Bronfman, 39, (pictured leaving court on Wednesday) was indicted on racketeering conspiracy charges on Tuesday and was released after posting $100 million bail
Wakaya is 11 miles off the coast of Ovalau – the main island in Fiji’s Lomaiviti group
Bronfman’s attorney Susan R. Necheles, one of the top white-collar attorneys in the country, had sought her release on a $25 million bond. Necheles told the court that Bronfman is in the process of developing a resort on Wakaya.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, however, set her bail to the astounding figure after prosecutors deemed her a flight risk due to her $200 million net worth and her stake in the remote island.
In a statement, Necheles called the charges ‘the result of government overreaching and charging an individual with crimes just because the government disagrees with some beliefs taught by NXIVM and held by Clare.’
The island has been privately owned since 1973, when it was purchased by Canadian businessman David Gilmour. Gilmour would later become the founder of Fiji water in 1996.
Bronfman’s resort will rival Gilmour’s luxury Wakaya Club & Spa which has hosted guests such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and other A-listers.
The resort boasts ‘one of the purest ecosystems on earth,’ according to its website. Wakaya is said to have a population of 300 to 400 people.
Bronfman was allowed to walk free from court after agreeing to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet.
A former competitor in international equestrian showjumping competitions, she was accused of taking a number of steps to help NXIVM’s founder and leader, Keith Raniere, control members of the upstate New York group, including identity theft, interception of electronic communications and money laundering.
Bronfman’s attorney told the court that she is in the process of developing a resort on the island
Bronfman was deemed a flight risk but chances of her fleeing to her private resort now seem slim after she was placed on house arrest
Leaders of the pack: The heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune, 39, is accused of running a pyramid scheme in order to enrich Keith Raniere, the leader of Nxivm (Allison Mack on left in May, Keith Raniere in an undated video on right)
A former member of the cult shows off the brand which she received. It was carved into her skin with a cauterizing pen. The logo is ambiguous but many say it includes leader Keith Raniere’s initials
She was part of an ‘inner circle’ of loyalists who ‘committed a broad range of serious crimes from identity theft and obstruction of justice to sex trafficking, all to promote and protect Raniere and NXIVM’, US attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement.
The indictment also accuses Nancy Salzman, her daughter Lauren and Nxivm bookkeeper Kathy Russell of the same offenses – bringing the total number of members arrested to six, with leader Keith Raniere and his right-hand woman Allison Mack having already been indicted back in May.
Rainere and Mack have been charged with sex trafficking.
Bronfman and her sister Sara are said to have helped woo Mack when she considered joining Nxixm and were said to have put $150M into the cult over 15 years.
Bronfman is said to have owned a house on the remote island before purchasing the majority of Wakaya from Gilmour
The remote island is said to have a population of 300 to 400 people