In this courtroom drawing, Clare Bronfman, right, is arraigned at federal court in New York, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Bronfman, a daughter of the late billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram chairman... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this courtroom drawing, Clare Bronfman, right, is arraigned at federal court in New York, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Bronfman, a daughter of the late billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr., and three other people associated with the NXIVM organization were taken into... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — An heiress to the Seagram's liquor fortune and three other people were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the investigation of a self-improvement organization accused of branding some of its female followers and forcing them into unwanted sex. 
 
 Clare Bronfman, 39, a daughter of the late billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr., surrendered to the FBI and pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges. 
 
 She was freed from custody following a late-afternoon court appearance where she pledged to post a $100 million bond to ensure her return to court. 
 
 U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis set the high amount after hearing prosecutors label her a flight risk and learning she has a net worth of roughly $200 million, including a stake in an island resort in Fiji. 
 
 Bronfman, who appeared in court wearing flip-flops and a T-shirt, didn't comment as she left a federal courthouse in Brooklyn. She was to remain under house arrest following her release. 
 
 A former competitor in international equestrian show jumping competitions, Bronfman is accused in an indictment of taking a number of steps to help NXIVM's founder and leader, Keith Raniere, exercise control over members of the upstate New York group, including identity theft, interception of electronic communications and money laundering. 
 
 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," U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement. 
 
 Raniere was arrested in Mexico this year and was brought to the U.S. to face charges that he, along with an adherent, the TV actress Allison Mack, coerced followers into becoming slaves to senior members. 
 
 In a statement, a lawyer for Bronfman, Susan 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." 
 
 "We are confident that Clare will be exonerated," she said. 
 
 Also arrested Tuesday were Nancy Salzman, who was the organization's longtime president; her daughter, Lauren Salzman; and a former bookkeeper for the group, Kathy Russell. All three were released on bail without entering pleas. 
 
 Despite criticism for years by ex-followers who called NXIVM a cult and a pyramid scheme, the organization's intense self-improvement classes had, at one point, earned it thousands of adherents, including some with Hollywood ties. They included Nicki Clyne, an actress who appeared on "Battlestar Galactica"; Bronfman's sister Sara Bronfman; a son of former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari; and India Oxenberg, a daughter of "Dynasty" actress Catherine Oxenberg. 
 
 In an indictment, prosecutors say Mack, who played a teenage friend of Superman in the CW network's "Smallville," helped Raniere recruit women to a secret sub-society within NXIVM whose members were branded by way of a surgical tool with a symbol that resembled his initials. Women were expected to be subservient to "masters," prosecutors said, including giving in to demands for sex. 
 
 The arrest of Bronfman, who has long been affiliated with NXIVM, wasn't a surprise. At a court hearing in June, a judge rejected an attempt to get Raniere released on $10 million bail paid for by Bronfman after prosecutors labeled her a co-conspirator. 
 
 In earlier court filings, the government detailed how Bronfman gave away tens of millions of dollars of her fortune to support Raniere and his group, including paying for private air travel at a cost of $65,000 a flight. It also said Bronfman has "paid for numerous lawyers to bring suits against Nxivm critics." 
 
 In a website post last year, Bronfman called the secret society a "sorority" that "has truly benefited the lives of its members, and does so freely." She added, "I find no fault in a group of women (or men for that matter) freely taking a vow of loyalty and friendship with one another to feel safe while pushing back against the fears that have stifled their personal and professional growth." 
 
 Raniere and Mack have also denied the allegations. In their court papers, the defense lawyers have said the supposed victims of the group were never abused and were in fact "independent, smart, curious adults" searching for "happiness, fulfillment and meaning." 
 
 Raniere, Mack and some of the other defendants were expected to appear together at a pretrial hearing on Wednesday in Brooklyn. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press Writer Mary Esch contributed to this report from Albany, New York. ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Clare Bronfman is the daughter of the late billionaire philanthropist Edgar Bronfman 
 
 A liquor heiress is facing charges of funding a suspected US sex cult whose recruits were allegedly branded with the initials of its founder. 
 
 Seagram scion Clare Bronfman, 39, is accused of using her fortune to help finance Nxivm's operations. 
 
 Investigators say the organisation is a sex-trafficking operation disguised as a mentoring group. 
 
 Six people have now been charged as part of the inquiry, including 35-year-old Smallville actress Allison Mack. 
 
 Ms Bronfman's lawyer said her client "did nothing wrong". 
 
 She was formally charged on Tuesday before being released on a $100m (£75m) bail bond. 
 
 What is Nxivm? 
 
 On its website Nxivm (pronounced nexium) describes itself as a "community guided by humanitarian principles that seek to empower people and answer important questions about what it means to be human". 
 
 Based in Albany in upstate New York, the group was founded as Executive Success Programs in 1998 and says it has worked with more than 16,000 people. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Smallville actress Allison Mack was charged earlier this year with sex trafficking 
 
 Members of the group are reported to include the son of a former Mexican president and Hollywood actresses. 
 
 Federal prosecutors allege Nxivm's leader Keith Raniere, 57, oversaw a "slave and master" system within the group. Female members were expected to have sex with him and were branded with his initials, say former members. 
 
 According to the group's website, it has suspended enrolment and events because of the "extraordinary circumstances facing the company at this time". 
 
 What is Clare Bronfman accused of? 
 
 Ms Bronfman, the daughter of late billionaire philanthropist and Seagram head Edgar Bronfman, was arrested on Tuesday along with three others on charges of racketeering conspiracy, US prosecutors say. 
 
 Court documents allege Ms Bronfman, a member of Nxivm's executive board, was involved in the identity theft of at least two women - including a deceased sexual partner of Mr Raniere. 
 
 She is also accused of encouraging and assisting in an alleged Nxivm victim's illegal entry into the US. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ms Bronfman had been a competitive equestrian, but reportedly sold her horses in recent years 
 
 In a note published on her website last December, Ms Bronfman said she still supported Nxivm after seeing "so much good come from both our programmes and from Keith himself". 
 
 Her lawyer Susan Necheles said in a statement that Nxivm was "not a criminal enterprise" but "an organisation that helped thousands of people," according to US media. 
 
 "The charges against Clare are 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," Ms Necheles said. 
 
 Who else has been charged? 
 
 Keith Raniere himself was arrested by the FBI in Mexico in March. 
 
 He and actress Allison Mack were charged with sex trafficking and forced labour conspiracy the following month. 
 
 Image copyright Keith Raniere Conversations/YouTube Image caption Keith Raniere was detained in Mexico, where he has reportedly been living for several months 
 
 Both face mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years and a maximum of life imprisonment for the sex-trafficking charges. 
 
 Mr Raniere, whose trial is scheduled for 1 October, has been denied bail because of fears that Ms Bronfman might use her financial clout to help him escape. 
 
 Nxivm co-founder Nancy Salzman, 64, her daughter, Lauren Salzman, 42, and the group's 60-year-old bookkeeper, Kathy Russell, were all arrested alongside Ms Brofman on Tuesday. 
 
 All six are accused of racketeering conspiracy, or attempting to illegally obtain or extort money, and could face up to 20 years in jail, plus an additional maximum 15 years for identity theft conspiracy. 
 
 The US Department of Justice says the group committed "an array of crimes, including identity theft, extortion, forced labour, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice". 
 
 FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said on Tuesday that "the details of these alleged crimes become more and more grim as we continue to dig deeper into the conduct of this organisation and its intended mission".
– Liquor heiress Clare Bronfman was among four people arrested Tuesday as part of an investigation into what prosecutors say was a sex trafficking organization masquerading as a self-help group. Bronfman, the 39-year-old daughter of late billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr., pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges and was freed after agreeing to pay $100 million, which is half of her estimated $200 million fortune, the AP reports. She is accused of using her fortune to assist and protect the NXIVM group and leader Keith Raniere, the BBC reports. Prosecutors say female recruits were expected to have sex with Raniere and were branded with his initials. Bronfman and other members of the group's inner circle "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 Tuesday. Bronfman has described the group as a "sorority" that truly benefits its members. Her lawyer, Susan Nechele, described the charges as "overreach" from a government that disagrees with the group's teachings. Organization co-founder Nancy Salzman, her daughter Lauren, and bookkeeper Kathy Russell were also arrested on racketeering charges and released on bail Tuesday. Raniere and Smallville actress Allison Mack were indicted on sex trafficking charges in April.