TV actress Allison Mack, who was involved in the cult-like sex group NXIVM, got three years in federal prison this week on charges that pushed women into sex slaves.
Mack, whose best-known role is the close friend of young Superman on the TV show ‘Smallville,’ pleaded guilty to the federal charges last year and started to cooperate against the sex group’s leader Keith Raniere.
Federal prosecutors said she helped them find evidence proving how Raniere founded a secret group of brainwashed, female sex slaves branded like cattle with his initials.
Mack Renounces Self-Improvement Guru
At her sentencing this week, Mack criticized Raniere and said that he was a fraud and criminal. She also said that she regretted the decisions she made and was filled with guilt and remorse.
Raniere said that she was sorry about the women that she encouraged to be a part of NXIVM and that she should not have exposed them to the ‘nefarious and emotionally abusive methods of such a twisted man.’
Mack wept several times as she read her apology to the federal court. The federal judge said he thought her apology was genuine but added that she needed to serve time in prison because she used her fame to attract victims.
According to some observers, Mack was fortunate she received a relatively light sentence; she could have received between 14 and 17 years in prison. However, her attorneys argued that home confinement or probation would be better.
Prosecutors said that any term she received should be below the maximum because she cooperated with the government.
Her attorneys added that the NXIVM case and Mack’s involvement was a tragedy for many involved, but eventually, Mack will get out of prison and continue with her life.
However, a victim, Jessica Joan, savaged Mack and her apology, saying that she was a monster, a predator, and evil.
Mack Was Part Of Raniere’s Inner Circle
At its height, NXIVM attracted actors, actresses, and millionaires into its secret society. Federal prosecutors said she was a leader of the sex slaves and ordered them to do labor, take nude pictures, and sometimes have sex with Raniere.
As federal agents closed in on the group’s leader, he left the US to Mexico with Mack and others, trying to form the group there. Instead, he was placed under arrest and sent to the US in 2018, and Mack was arrested soon after.
Mack offered information to federal attorneys about how Raniere used profane and demeaning language, even racial slurs, to humiliate group leaders. She also provided recordings of conversations she had with the man about branding the slaves like animals.
The conversations said that human branding should involve putting the women in a vulnerable position, such as the hands held over the head, like they were tied down. He also said the woman should ask to be branded.
Raniere received 120 years in federal prison last year on sex trafficking charges. Also, Clare Bronfman, heir to the Seagram’s fortunate, received a seven-year prison sentence last year for her role in the group.
Jessica Joan Feels Closure After Mack Conviction
Jessica Joan, a Hollywood actress who was pushed into the group by Mack, said she felt closure when she read her victim’s statement and saw the woman convicted.
Joan said she was recruited into the sex group that was sold as an empowerment group for women. However, the group’s purpose was only to abuse women and recruit sex slaves for its founder. The group also had an unhealthy slave and master relationship among the many women who were involved.
As one of the group’s leaders, Mack told Joan to seduce and have intercourse with Raniere. Mack said this would help Joan get over the sexual abuse and trauma she suffered when she was young.
The order to have sex with Raniere shocked the woman to the point that she left NXIVM. She lived with the group in New York state, but this situation made her flee to her home state of Hawaii.
Joan now lives in LA and says she has had a journey of years through the federal legal system as she has helped prosecutors build a case against Mack. She said last week that she has a lot of appreciation for the FBI and federal prosecutors, noting that the US Attorney’s office is filled with people who try to help others.
Joan said working on the case has prevented her from working and earning a living, noting that she had to use unemployment checks to cover the cost of traveling to New York City to address the court.
She added that she felt that Mack should have gotten more time in prison. However, the judge noted that while Mack had abused Joan and others, she also was Raniere’s victim and seemed to be brainwashed by him.