Actress Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for her involvement in what prosecutors called a “sex cult.”
The “Smallville” star was a high-ranking member of NXIVM, an upstate New York group led by self-styled guru Keith Raniere. Female members were coerced into having sex with Raniere, who is serving a 120 year prison sentence after he was convicted on criminal charges including federal sex trafficking, racketeering and possession of child pornography.
Mack pleaded guilty in 2019 to crimes including extortion and forced labor. She was a central figure in DoS, a secretive group within the wider NXIVM community. Members of DoS were “masters” and “slaves.”
“I have experienced overwhelming shame as I have worked to accept and understand all that went on and all that I chose,” Mack wrote in a court filing last week.
“I am sorry to those of you that I brought into NXIVM,” Mack continued. “I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man. I am sorry that I encouraged you to use your resources to participate in something that was ultimately so ugly.”
CNN explains why Mack received a lighter sentence than recommended:
Sentencing guidelines recommended a range of 14-17.5 years in prison for Mack. Prosecutors had asked US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis to give her below the recommended range because of “substantial assistance” she gave the government in the investigation and prosecution of others, they said in a court filing. Mack’s attorneys had asked for her to receive no prison time.
Garaufis called Mack “an essential accomplice” and a “willing and proactive ally” of Raniere, but also said, “I don’t doubt that you were manipulated and also felt captive.”
In Raniere’s trial, one former member, Lauren Salzman, said beatings with whips and paddles were routine for those in DoS, which was presented as a female empowerment group. Members were branded and pledged loyalty to Raniere, who was building a dungeon in Mexico before it was raided by law enforcement personnel. More on Salzman’s testimony from Vice:
Women initiated into the group handed over damaging collateral to prove their lifelong commitment to the cause: Salzman testified the material she handed over personally had to be bad enough that she would rather die than see it made public.
“The best slave derives the highest pleasure from being her Master’s ultimate tool,” reads a DoS rulebook Salzman referenced in court. “It doesn’t matter what the command is, it matters that you obey. It doesn’t matter that you understand the command, it matters that you obey.”
