Allison Mack and the NXIVM case: Everything to know as 'Smallville' star leaves prison early
Actress released after serving two of three years for her role in masterminding notorious cult-like sex organization.
Allison Mack, the former Smallville star who became a ringleader of the notorious cult-like NXIVM, has been released early from prison. The 40-year-old actress had served two years of her three-year sentence behind bars in Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif. (the same low-security camp where Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman spent time for their roles in the college admissions scandal), and left the facility on Monday, according to inmate records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Mack has yet to release a statement following her release.
Now 40, Mack was one of the most prominent figures in the sex-trafficking case that both horrified and captivated the nation years ago.
How Mack wound up behind bars
She pleaded guilty in April 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy related to her high-level role in Keith Raniere's controversial, cult-like self-help group NXIVM, which claimed to provide inspirational executive coaching. Prosecutors accused her of recruiting sex slaves for Raniere via its subgroup, DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium), described as an all-female secret society of “masters” and “slaves” in which women were forced to be sexually subservient to Raniere.
As directed by Raniere, Mack and other high-ranking DOS masters and recruits were made to engage in sex acts with Raniere, be photographed nude, perform labor and follow an extreme diet. They were also branded like cattle with a symbol that they later learned represented Raniere’s initials — an idea Mack came up with.
A striking flip-flop
Mack initially pleaded not guilty but flipped. Prosecutors revealed she “provided substantial assistance to the government” and sought a lighter sentence.
Prosecutors stated that Mack provided details regarding crimes committed by Raniere and other top DOS masters. She also turned over relevant emails, documents and recordings to the government, including one recording that "served as crucial evidence" in Raniere's trial. Raniere is serving life in prison on multiple crimes, including sex trafficking, extortion, sexual content featuring children and forced labor for running the cult.
Before her sentencing in June 2021, Mack's attorneys had requested that she spend no time in prison because she was "on a promising path of rehabilitation." They say in the three years in which she's been under court supervision, she's "turned completely around from depravity and trauma to peace, acceptance and remorse." She reunited with her supportive family, is undergoing therapy and is focused on bettering her education (she earned an associate's degree, with a 4.0 average, and is now working toward a bachelor's at University of California, Berkeley). She also filed for divorce from Battlestar Galactica actress Nicki Clyne, "whom she married at Raniere's request" in another "incompressible lack of judgment."
The defense's sentencing memo notes, "The Allison Mack of today does not recognize the Allison Mack of three years ago."
Her apology
Mack — best known for her decade-long role as a young Superman’s friend, Chloe Sullivan, on the WB’s Smallville — has a number of letters supporting her request for no jail time — and she wrote her own, addressed "to those who have been harmed by my actions."
In it, she expressed regret for her actions and said being under house arrest gave her the "opportunity" to "confront the darkest parts of myself and come to terms with the pain my actions have inflicted on so many people I love." She said it's "now of paramount importance" to tell her victims that "from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry. I threw myself into the teachings of [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 greatest regret of my life."
She apologized to those she recruited into NXIVM, writing, "I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man." She said at the time she thought she "was helping" women. She thanked "the court, my family, my therapist and a few amazing friends" for helping her come out on the other side.
Mack ended by writing, "Please know that I am dedicated to spending my life working to mend the hearts I broke and continuing to transform myself into a more loving and compassionate woman. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I hope it offers at least a little bit of peace and closure as this horrific chapter comes to an end."
Her sentence
During her sentencing hearing in 2021, Judge Nicholas Garaufis noted Mack was an "essential accomplice" of Raniere's who "willingly enslaved, destabilized and manipulated other women." However, he found three mitigating factors for a reduced sentence.
"First, your lawyers make a persuasive case that you, like the victims of your conduct, were ensnared in Mr. Raniere's coercive and manipulative web," Garaufis wrote in his sentencing memorandum. "Second, you have expressed remorse and contrition and made significant progress towards rehabilitating yourself. And I see no reason to doubt that your efforts and your progress are sincere."
Finally, the judge noted Mack's assistance in the government's case against Raniere, who was sentenced to life in prison on sex trafficking and other disturbing charges.
What was NXIVM?
Raniere founded NXIVM, which was based in upstate New York, in 1998 — and its expensive self-empowerment courses were a lure to Hollywood actors, socialites and entrepreneurs. Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram liquor fortune, was a high-ranking associate like Mack and was also indicted on racketeering conspiracy and related crimes. Mack's Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk took a "self-help/personal growth course that helped me handle my previous shyness" but said "the accusations that I was in the 'inner circle' or recruited women as 'sex slaves' are blatantly false."
India Oxenberg, the daughter of Dynasty alum Catherine Oxenberg, was in the cult and claimed Raniere starved her to look like a 12-year-old and “raped” her. India, who described herself as “a branded, brainwashed sex slave," said she was "afraid" of "master Mack.
This cult has been the topic of films, including docuseries The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. The podcast Uncover also dedicated a season to NXIVM.
What's next for Mack?
Before her sentencing, Mack had expressed an interest in returning to acting. No word yet on whether she still has plans for a comeback.
