In November, an explosive expose outed Smallville actress Allison Mack as a “master” in a sex slave cult and pyramid scheme that allegedly masquerades as a self-help group for women.
In the wake of that, both Allison Mack and accused cult leader Keith Raniere fled.
Now, however, they have been found and arrested on multiple charges that could put them behind bars for many years.
Allison Mack will reportedly appear Friday in Brooklyn court over her role in the Nxivm sex slave cult known as DOS.
Keith Raniere was arrested for sex trafficking and forced labor while hiding out in Mexico and shipped back to the US.
Allison Mack has now also been arrested.
The two of them will face charges including sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy.
(It is very much illegal to allegedly torture people and blackmail them into having sex, folks)
They could both be looking at 15 years in prison.
Per the stunning report last November, Allison Mack was responsible for recruiting “slaves” to serve Raniere, who was known as “Vanguard” within the cult.
Reportedly, Allison would have sex with Raniere but also select women within the cult to have sex with him — and use her celebrity status to recruit new women to join Nxivm.
DOS is a program within Nxivm, in which women were reportedly made to give up blackmail material and were then branded with Raniere’s initials as part of a “self-improvement” program.
Everyone lower on the pyramid was a “slave.” Anyone higher was a “master.” An interesting play on what sounds like, structurally, a classic pyramid scheme.
Failure to obey orders was met with punishments like food deprivation, cold showers, or even corporal reprisals handed out by a master.
And Allison Mack was apparently a “master” who answered only to Raniere.
For a decade, the 35-year-old actress played the adorable and brilliant Chloe Sullivan on the cult favorite TV series, Smallville.
(This was before shows like Arrow came along to remind people that live-action superhero shows could be genuinely good, but it did run for 10 years)
People who once admired her have a hard time reconciling the sweet, bubbly woman they saw on their screens with a woman who would allegedly blackmail or paddle women to coerce them into having sex with a cult leader.
According to some statements, it sounded like Mack was deeply devoted to Raniere.
… To the point where she was said to seem jealous of women whom she herself sent to Raniere’s bed.
Some question Mack’s culpability.
On the one hand, she’s a grown woman who has allegedly been overseeing a sex slave cult on behalf of a deranged lunatic.
On the other, she has appeared obsessed with weight loss, keeping herself to an unhealthy weight through exercise and starvation — above and beyond what is expected from all of the “slaves” below her.
Depriving someone of things like food in a “self-help” setting, and grooming someone over the course of years to obey you unquestioningly, can have a powerful effect.
That said, from what is reported, Mack was never kidnapped by Raniere. Whatever psychological hold he may have on her, it sounds like she did everything of her own free will, every step of the way.
She may be both a victim and a victimizer, but for now, it sounds like she’s culpable for her actions.
Perhaps something will come out at trial that will change people’s minds.
Every part of this story is bizarre, sensational, and alarming.
By the way, even though Kristin Kreuk is the one who allegedly recruited Allison Mack, at the time, Nxivm was apparently just a mildly creepy self-empowerment group for women.
So we don’t expect Kristin Kreuk, who took a simple course and then left, to face charges for the crimes committed by others when she was not in any way involved.
Allison Mack’s former Smallville costar is horrified by what she’s heard.
And so is everyone else.
We can only imagine what more we’ll all learn as this case goes to trial.
