The actress Allison Mack (Smallville) was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday in addition to a $20,000 fine for her involvement in the charges brought against the self-improvement group NXIVM, based in Albany, New York. Mack had plead guilty in April of 2019 to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for her participation in NXIVM, which has been deemed “sex cult” by numerous media outlets, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Mack is an actress best known for her work in the CW series Smallville, which details the life of Clark Kent, aka Superman, when he was a teenager and young man. Portraying Chloe Sullivan, Mack was on the show for the entire series, which ran from 2001-2011. She also had a recurring role in the FX series Wilfred in 2011 and 2014. Mack was arrested in Brooklyn by the FBI in April of 2018 on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor for her in role within the NXIVM group.
NXIVM claimed to be a self-help organization which offered classes to help guide individuals to attain a better future. Mack had been arrested alongside numerous other NXIVM members, including the leader of the organization, Keith Raniere. Raniere is currently serving a 120-year sentence in prison after being convicted in 2019 of racketeering charges. Within NXIVM, prosecutors working the case stated that a secret, all-female group called DOS was formed, in which women were branded, forced to provide nude photographs, and other jeopardizing information which was then given to the group leaders on a regular basis. The brand the women were given contained Mack’s and Raniere’s initials.
As reported by CNN, DOS consisted of, “several women who were known as “first-line masters,” who reported directly to Raniere and recruited other women as their slaves, according to testimony at the trial. Unbeknownst to many of the women, Raniere was the head of the group, and women were, at times, directed to have sex with him and send him nude photographs.” Mack was described as Raniere’s second-in-command, and she would recruit women from within NXIVM to serve as “slaves” to her, Raniere, and others, who were deemed “masters” within DOS.
A former member of the group, Jessica Joan, who was a Jane Doe in the case, gave a statement last year in the proceedings which was picked up by Rolling Stone: “Allison Mack and Keith Raniere are the most evil monsters I’ve ever met…She sought me out like predator stalking their prey.” Though sentenced for three years, according to CNN, the amount of time recommended in jail for Mack based off of sentencing guidelines range from 14-17.5 years. Due to all the assistance and crucial information she gave the prosecution, they recommended to US District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis that she serve less than the recommended time.
Before her sentencing hearing, Mack submitted a letter to the court attained by Rolling Stone, in which she wrote: “I threw myself into the teachings of Keith Raniere with everything I had. I believed, whole-heartedly, that his mentorship was leading me to a better, more enlightened version of myself. I devoted my loyalty, my resources, and, ultimately, my life to him. This was the biggest mistake and regret of my life.”
Within the past year, NXIVM has been the subject of various documentary true crime series and podcasts. HBO aired The Vow, a nine-part documentary series about the inner workings of NXIVM, beginning in the summer of 2020. They interviewed various former members of the group as they detailed their experiences within the organization in the wake of of all the allegations. Starz also aired documentary series in the fall of 2020 called, Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. Receiving critical acclaim for its inside look at NXIVM, it was told through the perspective of former member India Oxenberg as she recounted what it was like living on the inside of a cult. In addition, the breakthrough CBC 2018 podcast “Escaping NXIVM” is available on Spotify, apple podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts.