'Smallville' Star Allison Mack Gets 3-Year Sentence In Sex Cult Case
NEW YORK (CBSLA/AP) – Actress Allison Mack has been sentenced to three years in prison for helping recruit women as sex slaves for a cult-like group.
Mack was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in New York City to three years in prison, 1,000 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. Under advisory sentencing guidelines, she had faced a potential sentence of 14 to 17 1/2 years behind bars. However, her defense team has argued in court papers that probation or a sentence to home confinement is more appropriate, and prosecutors have agreed that any prison term should be below the guidelines range because of her cooperation.
According to CBS New York, she must report to prison in September.
Back in April of 2019, the 38-year-old Mack pleaded guilty to two counts of racketeering conspiracy and racketeering.
Mack was first arrested in April of 2018. She helped recruit sex slaves for 57-year-old leader Keith Raniere and his cult-like organization NXIVM, pronounced "Nexium." Raniere sold himself as a self-improvement guru to the stars.
In March of 2018, Raniere was arrested in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. In June of 2019, he was found guilty of multiple counts of sex trafficking and racketeering. Last year, he was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
Mack was once part of the inner circle of Raniere, whose group attracted millionaires and actors among its adherents. Raniere created a secret society within NXIVM called "DOS," in which "masters" held "slaves." Prosecutors said she became a "master" for "slaves" she ordered "to perform labor, take nude photographs, and in some cases, to engage in sex acts with Raniere."
NXIVM was headquartered near Albany, New York. Since her arrest, Mack had been living at her parents' home in Los Alamitos.
Over the weekend, Mack released a statement that read, in part:
"I threw myself into the teachings of Keith Raniere with everything I had...I believed, wholeheartedly, 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."
Mack was a series regular on The CW network's "Smallville," which ran from 2001 to 2015. She played Chloe Sullivan, appearing in more than 200 episodes. Kristin Kreuk, who played Superman's love interest in "Smallville" admitted to participating in one of the group's programs, but has said she was not involved in NXIVM's inner circle and did not recruit anyone.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
