Allison Mack is sentenced to just three years in prison for recruiting sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere after a victim tells the judge she's an 'evil monster' who sought her out like a 'predator'
Allison Mack has been sentenced to just three years in prison for her role in recruiting sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere after one of the cult's victims told the judge the Smallville actress as an 'evil monster' who sought her out like a 'predator'.
The 38-year-old, who was facing up to 17 years in prison, was sentenced on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
Mack, who is best known for her role as a young Superman's close friend on the TV series Smallville, had pleaded guilty in 2019 to racketeering and conspiracy charges after she blackmailed at least two women into becoming sex slaves for Raniere.
Her sentence was 117 years shorter than the one handed down to Raniere last year.
During the sentencing, Mack denounced Raniere and apologized to her victims, saying: 'I made choices I will forever regret.'
'I'm filled with remorse and guilt. I renounced Keith Raniere and all of his teachings. From the deepest part of my soul, I am sorry.'
Facing up to 17 years behind bars, Mack had urged the judge to spare her prison time and instead sentence her to home confinement or probation.
Prosecutors did not request a specific sentence but did say it should be less than the minimum 14 years called for by federal guidelines in light of her 'substantial assistance' in the investigation of NXIVM and Raniere.
Allison Mack, 38, is pictured leaving the federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday after she was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine
Raniere was sentenced last year to 120 years in prison for his conviction on sex-trafficking charges. Mack (pictured in 2018) had been seeking credit for cooperating against Raniere and taking responsibility for helping him create a secret society of brainwashed women
Mack, who was once part of Raniere's inner circle, had given them a recording of a conversation she had with Raniere about the branding, which was used to bolster their case against him.
She had also provided information to prosecutors about how he encouraged 'the use of demeaning and derogatory language, including racial slurs, to humiliate 'slaves'.'
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis took pity on Mack, saying he believed her apology was sincere but that she deserved a serious sentence for becoming 'a willing and proactive ally' of Raniere.
'In Nxivm language, you are a slave as well as a master. It's hard to determine a sentence for a defendant who is also her co-conspirator's victim,' the judge said.
'Your punishment should serve as a forceful deterrent and a serious sentence is important, but I don't doubt that you were also manipulated.'
Victim Jessica Joan, who was among the few who appeared in court, rejected Mack's apology, telling the judge she deserved no mercy.
'Shine light on who Allison Mack really is. Allison is a predator, a danger to society, and has no remorse for her victims,' she said.
'She is the Ghislaine Maxwell to Keith's Jeffrey Epstein.
'She can blame Keith all she wants but she is the menace cut from the same cloth. She sought me out like a predator stalking her prey… Allison Mack and Keith Raniere are the most evil monsters I've ever met.'
During the sentencing, Mack denounced Raniere and apologized to her victims, saying: 'I made choices I will forever regret.'
Jessica Joan, who is a former NXIVM member, was among the few Raniere victims to appear in court for Mack's hearing. Joan is not one of the women Mack was charged over
India Oxenberg, the daughter of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg, told the Hollywood Reporter she was in a state of 'disbelief' over the sentencing.
Oxenberg was recruited to NXIVM by Mack and says she was among the first to be branded.
'I'm still in a state of disbelief, but I trust and honor the judge's decision,' she said.
'I hope that her victims, including myself, feel vindicated and safer, given that she has denounced Keith Raniere. We all need time to process and digest everything. This is a big moment for all of us.'
Mack, who has been out on bail with an ankle monitor since her arrest, has until September 29 to surrender to authorities. Her defense attorney had requested the judge recommend a prison in her home state of California.
Former members testified at Raniere's trial that he established a secret sorority within NXIVM in about 2015 in which women were kept on starvation diets, branded with his initials and, in some cases, ordered to have sex with him.
Leaders of the group who were known as 'slave masters', including Mack, were said to use nude photos and other compromising materials to blackmail members into complying.
Mack admitted that she coerced two women, who have not been named publicly, into doing work for the group by threatening to release damaging information about them.
She was arrested in 2018 after fleeing with Raniere to Mexico when federal authorities started investigating the cult.
Raniere was sentenced last year to 120 years in prison for his conviction on sex-trafficking charges.
Mack was one of five female members who were charged for their involvement and all pleaded guilty.
Only one other member, Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman, has been sentenced in the NXIVM case so far. She was jailed for 81 months last September after being accused of bankrolling the group.
Mack had her ankle monitor tucked into her boot as she left the court on Wednesday after her three year sentence was handed down
Mack covered her faced as she left Brooklyn federal court shortly after the sentence was handed down
Mack was surrounded by media and police as she was escorted from the courthouse after being sentenced to three years
Mack started acting and modeling from the age of four but landed her first acting gig on a TV show she was 15.
She landed her role in Smallville in 2001 in which she played Chloe Sullivan, the best friend of a young Clark Kent.
The series ran from 2001 to 2011 and earned Mack two Teen Choice Awards and multiple TV award nominations.
It was while Smallville was filming that Mack first attended a NXIVM meeting back in 2007.
She eventually moved to New York City when Smallville finished airing in 2011. Mack regularly attended NXIVM seminars and would often travel to Albany where Raniere lived.
In 2012, she chose to move to Albany to be closer to NXIVM and Raniere instead of pursuing an application to Yale Drama School.
Raniere had started NXIVM in the 1990s in Albany, New York as a purported self-improvement group that then expanded across the country.
The group first became known for its 'Executive Success Program' courses, which purported to give students the ability to achieve their goals in life by overcoming mental blocks.
Raniere started a secret branch, known as the DOS, in about 2015 that was just for women.
Mack admitted to helping Raniere create a secret society of brainwashed women who were branded with his initials
Mack, who was once part of Raniere's inner circle, had provided information to prosecutors about how he encouraged 'the use of demeaning and derogatory language, including racial slurs, to humiliate 'slaves'. She also gave them a recording of a conversation she had with Raniere about the branding, which was used to bolster their case against him
Mack, who joined NXIVM in 2006, was once part of Raniere's inner circle. They are pictured together during a filmed interview for the group on his YouTube page
Prosecutors say the secret society was comprised of brainwashed female 'slaves' who were blackmailed into have sex with him, follow dangerously restrictive diets and be branded with his initials.
Mack became a master, as well as Raniere's slave, around 2016.
In her role in the cult, Mack admitted that at Raniere's direction, she obtained compromising information and images of two unidentified women - called 'collateral' within the group - that she threatened to make public if they didn't perform 'so-called acts of love.'
Prosecutors also said Mack ordered victims 'to perform labor, take nude photographs, and in some cases, to engage in sex acts with Raniere'.
As an investigation into NXIVM was underway in 2017, Raniere and Mack were among those who fled to Mexico to try to reconstitute the group there.
He was arrested at a luxury villa in Puerto Vallarta and sent back to the US in March 2018.
Mack was arrested a few days later in New York and charged with racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking and attempted sex trafficking.
She was released on a $5 million bond and has been on house arrest in California since pleading guilty in 2019.
Mack first attended a NXIVM meeting back in 2007 while she was on Smallville. She moved to New York City when Smallville finished airing in 2011 and regularly attended NXIVM seminars
Mack (second from right) starred for years as Chloe Sullivan – the best friend of a young Clark Kent - in TV series Smallville
After being released on bond, Mack was ordered to cut all communication with NXIVM members including her wife and fellow NXIVM member Nicki Clyne.
The pair married in 2017 but Mack filed for divorce in December last year.
Raniere was arrested at a luxury villa in Mexico and sent back to the US in March 2018. He was sentenced last year to 120 years in prison for his conviction on sex-trafficking charges
It was previously reported that the pair wed at the behest of Raniere in an effort to allow Clyne, who is Canadian, to remain in the US.
Clyne was not charged in relation to the NXIVM case.
Mack had been cooperating with prosecutors since her guilty plea.
It was revealed last week that she provided them with an audio tape that showed Raniere discussing a branding ceremony that was used to help bolster the case against the cult leader.
A transcript of the tape, which was included in a pre-sentencing court filing made public last week, showed Raniere and Mack discussing the brandings.
'Do you think the person who's being branded should be completely nude and sort of held to the table like a, sort of almost like a sacrifice? I don't know if that, that's a feeling of submission, you know,' Raniere asked.
He also suggested filming the branding to be used as 'collateral' in a bid to stop women leaving the cult.
As an investigation into NXIVM was underway in 2017, Raniere and Mack were among those who fled to Mexico to try to reconstitute the group there. He was arrested at a luxury villa in Puerto Vallarta and sent back to the US in March 2018. Mack is pictured above during Raniere's arrest. She was arrested after arriving back in New York several days later. Image courtesy of ArtVoice
Raniere started NXIVM in the 1990s in Albany, New York as a purported self-improvement group that then expanded across the country. The group first became known for its 'Executive Success Program' courses, which purported to give students the ability to achieve their goals in life by overcoming mental blocks
Mack and fellow NXIVM member Nicki Clyne married in 2017. Mack filed for divorce in December last year. It was previously reported that the pair wed at the behest of Raniere in an effort to allow Clyne, who is Canadian, to remain in the US. Clyne was not charged in relation to the NXIVM case
THE NXIVM MEMBERS CHARGED IN SEX CULT CASE
Clare Bronfman
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit identity theft
Plea: Guilty (plea deal)
Sentence: 81 months in prison and $500,000 fine
Keith Raniere
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit identity theft.
Plea: Not Guilty
Verdict: Guilty, all counts
Sentence: 120 years in prison
Allison Mack
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking
Plea: Guilty (plea deal)
Sentence: Three years in prison
Kathy Russell
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy
Plea: Guilty (plea deal)
Lauren Salzman
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy
Plea: Guilty (plea deal)
Nancy Salzman
Charges: Racketeering conspiracy
Plea: Guilty
Raniere went on to describe how the woman should be in a 'vulnerable position' for the branding.
'Laying on the back, legs slightly, or legs spread straight like, like feet, feet being held to the side of the table, hands probably above the head being held, almost like being tied down, like sacrificial, whatever,' he said.
'The person should ask to be branded. Should say, please brand me it would be an honor, or something like that. An honor I want to wear for the rest of my life, I don't know.
'And they should probably say that before they're held down, so it doesn't seem like they are being coerced.'
Prosecutors acknowledged the tape when they asked the judge to impose a reduced sentence on Mack.
Mack also asked for leniency when she wrote a letter to judge ahead of her sentencing in which she apologized for her role in NXIVM and said following Raniere was the biggest regret of her life.
She noted that she cooperated with prosecutors by providing the tape of Raniere talking about branding his recruits that helped convict him.
'It is now of paramount importance for me to say, from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry,' Mack said in her letter.
'I threw myself into the teachings of Keith 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 regret of my life.'
She also apologized to the victims she and Raneire lured into the sex cult, calling her former master a 'twisted man.'
'I am sorry to those of you that I brought into NXIVM,' Mack wrote.
'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.
'I do not take lightly the responsibility I have in the lives of those I love and I feel a heavy weight of guilt for having misused your trust, leading you down a negative path.'
India Oxenberg, who is the daughter of Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg, has claimed she was recruited by Mack in 2011 when she was 20 under the guise that it was a sexual liberation group.
Oxenberg, who was among those who testified during Raniere's trial, claims Mack was her master after she joined and she was forced to hand over incriminating information about her relatives.
She has previously revealed that she was the first woman to be branded in January 2016 as two fellow cult members held her down by her hands and feet. Oxenberg also alleged she was raped by Raniere and groomed by him for years.
In a documentary about her involvement in the cult, Oxengberg said Mack would limit her calorie intake.
India Oxenberg, who is the daughter of Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg, spoke to ABC News on Wednesday ahead of Mack's sentencing for her role in the NXIVM cult
Oxenberg (above with mom Catherine) said she has suffered panic attacks and nightmares in the lead up to Mack's sentencing while writing her victim impact statement
'Allison said, I could only eat 500 calories or less per day. Before eating anything, I had to ask permission so, 'master may I please have 90 calories',' she said.
'It was supposed to be a practice in discipline and self-restraint.'
Ahead of her sentencing, Oxenberg revealed she had received a letter from Mack just days earlier where she dropped the cult persona, denounced leader Keith Raniere and admitted wrongdoing.
Oxenberg said, however, that Mack should still pay for what she did to her and that any reduced sentence was an insult to NXVIM victims.
'Her worst quality is that she dehumanized people, she was inhumane. That's hard to come back from,' Oxenberg told ABC News.
Oxenberg said she was 'surprised' to receive a letter from Mack just days ago regarding her involvement in the cult.
She did not divulge the contents of the letter.
'I was so surprised, I didn't not expect that. It was so sad because it was the first communication that I've seen from her that actually kind of felt like her,' she said.
'It wasn't the cult persona. I felt sympathetic but it was also very clear to me that this was someone who really did struggle with empathy.
'I do believe that she has been able to see that she did wrong and hurt people and that she has denounced Keith Raniere - that is what I prayed for.'
Oxenberg said she has suffered panic attacks and nightmares in the lead up to Mack's sentencing while writing her victim impact statement.
Clare Bronfman, the group's bookkeeper Kathy Russell, NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren Salzman were also charged (Pictured clockwise)