Smallville Actress Allison Mack Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison in NXIVM Sex Cult Case

Allison Mack, the former Smallville actress and one of the leaders of the high-profile NXIVM cult, was sentenced Wednesday in a Brooklyn federal court to three years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $20,000.

Mack, 38, pleaded guilty in April 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and apologized for her crimes, including obtaining "collateral" from women and threatening to make it public if they disobeyed her. She had faced up to 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, though federal sentencing guidelines called for between 14 and 17-and-a-half years. Her attorneys argued for no prison, citing her cooperation in the case, and prosecutors also recommended a lenient sentence.

During her sentencing, Mack spoke out against NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, telling court, "I made choices I will forever regret" and that she was filled with "remorse and guilt." She once again apologized to the victims who were present, according to the Associated Press.

However, a victim rejected her apology and urged the judge against mercy, the AP reported. "She can blame Keith all she wants but she is a monster cut from the same cloth," Jessica Joan said in court. "Allison Mack is a predator and an evil human being."

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said that while he believed Mack's apology, she still deserved to serve time because she used her fame to groom victims as "a willing and proactive ally" and "essential accomplice to Raniere's monstrous crimes," the AP reported.

NXIVM (first known as Executive Success Programs) was founded in 1998 by Raniere, the former head of the disgraced 1990s multi-level marketing company Consumers' Buyline, and Nancy Salzman, a former psychiatric nurse and trained hypnotist. The alleged sex cult and multi-level marketing scheme masqueraded as a self-help program that attracted wealthy, famous, and influential people, including Hollywood stars like Mack and Battlestar Galactica's Nicki Clyne, to whom Mack is married; the heiresses of Seagram's liquor fortune; and the son of a former Mexican president.

Raniere, called "Vanguard" by NXIVM members, served as the top leader of the organization and its various subgroups, including DOS — a secret women's organization that assigned its members "master" and "slave" roles and branded their pelvic areas with a symbol that featured Raniere and Mack's initials. Mack, by many accounts, was Keith Raniere's top lieutenant in DOS, responsible for recruiting women to be "slaves"; forcing them to hand over compromising material including nude photos as "collateral" and blackmailing them to keep them obedient; putting them on extreme weight-loss regimes and assigning them "penance" for mistakes; and initiating rituals that used a cauterizing pen, without anesthesia, to brand women.

Mack's sentencing follows that of Raniere, who was sentenced last October to 120 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $1,750,000 following his conviction of sex trafficking, forced labor, production and possession of child pornography, racketeering, and wire fraud. "I do believe I am innocent of the charges," Raniere told the court during his sentencing. "It is true I am not remorseful of the crimes I do not believe I committed at all."

Ahead of Mack's sentencing, her attorneys urged the judge to consider a more lenient sentence given the former actress's cooperation in the investigation, pointing out that Mack provided a recording of Raniere describing the branding ritual that was a key piece of evidence in his trial. In a sentencing memo, they asked the judge to consider home confinement or probation instead of jail time, to allow Mack to continue to access "family, friends, and educational opportunities that have put her on the path to once again become a valuable member of society."

Mack herself released a lengthy statement, apologizing to those she brought into NXIVM. "I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man," she wrote of Raniere, of whom she said, "I devoted my loyalty, my resources and ultimately, my life to him. This was the biggest mistake and greatest regret of my life."

Other NXIVM key players Nancy Salzman and her daughter Lauren Salzman were also arrested, along with NXIVM bankroller Clare Bronfman, and bookkeeper Kathy Russell. All of the women took plea deals, and all except Bronfman are awaiting sentencing.

Bronfman admitted to helping Raniere use the credit card of another NXIVM member after she died of cancer. Bronfman also confessed to harboring a Mexican woman who was brought to the country on a fake work visa so that she and NXIVM could exploit her labor. She was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.

Nancy Salzman was convicted of racketeering and faces 33 to 41 months in prison. Lauren Salzman faces up to 40 years in prison for racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, but is likely to receive a lesser sentence for testifying at Raniere's trial. Kathy Russell could receive up to 10 years in prison for visa fraud.

What Happened to Nancy Salzman, India Oxenberg, and More NXIVM Key Players

NXIVM and its leaders have been subjects of two recent TV documentary series: The Vow on HBO, and Seduced: Inside The NXIVM Cult on Starz.

The Vow focused on several of the group's defectors, chronicling how they came to embrace Executive Success Programs, which became NXIVM; how they lost faith in the group's leaders and abusive practices; the threats they faced after defecting; and their efforts to heal and seek justice. The series has been renewed for a second season, which is expected to reveal more details about NXIVM's inner workings and center on Raniere's trial and conviction.

Seduced focused on India Oxenberg — the daughter of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg — who joined NXIVM in 2011 and left the group after Raniere's arrest. Oxenberg, 30, co-executive-produced the four-part series and also wrote a memoir titled Still Learning about her experience.