Shuvrajit Das Biswas
‘Smallville’ star Allison Mack and her descent into the dark, seedy world of sexual slavery is brought to light in the HBO true-crime documentary series, ‘The Vow.’ For the uninitiated, the show revolves around NXIVM (pronounced ‘Nexium’). Founded in 1998 as a multi-level marketing company by Keith Raniere, NXIVM eventually became associated with sex trafficking and was seen as more of a cult than a company. Finally, in 2018, NXIVM founder Keith Raniere was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, and along with him, several of his co-conspirators fell. In this article, we take a look at Allison Mack’s association with NXIVM and where that has landed her.
Who is Allison Mack?
Allison Mack made her name on the small screen through her role in the hugely popular 10-season-long Superman television series ‘Smallville,’ which premiered in 2001. As an attractive 18-year-old, Allison played the role of Chloe Sullivan, one of Clark Kent’s best friends. While Allison’s role in the show catapulted her to fame, it would also eventually become the cause of her downfall.
During her stint with ‘Smallville,’ Allison became close friends with her co-star Kristen Kreuk, who invited the rising star to a seminar on empowering women sometime in 2010. At the symposium, NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren Salzman, introduced themselves to Mack as the hosts of a mentorship program. It marked the start of Allison’s (perhaps unwitting) descent into the sex cult that NXIVM would eventually grow to become. Inadvertent or not, over time, Allison grew close to Nancy and Lauren Salzman, and through them, finally got introduced to NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.
Allison soon grew into her role as a high-level member of the cult and became an active participant in recruiting new sex slaves for the cult. It is also believed that she played a role is starting the practice of branding victims in the cult. In fact, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Allison was “the leader of a secretive sex cult within the NXIVM structure called DOS, which stands for Dominus Obsequious Sororium, or Master Over Slave Women. In this group, Mack allegedly occupied the second-most-senior position (only Raniere was above her) as a ‘master’ and recruited ‘slaves’ from within NXIVM, who was held down by other slaves and branded with a hot cauterizing pen.” So, as the net closed in on NXIVM and its high-ranking members, Allison was arrested by the FBI on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy on April 20, 2018.
Where is Allison Mack Now?
Since Allison’s arrest, the once-promising television star’s life has been a downward spiral. Although Allison initially pleaded innocent to the charges and posted $5 million in bail to remain under house arrest, she eventually gave in, took “full responsibility” for her actions, and pleaded guilty to the racketeering conspiracy and racketeering charges against her in April 2019. Explaining the decision to plead guilty, Allison stated in court, “Through it all, I believed Keith Raniere’s intentions were to help people. I was wrong … I must take full responsibility for my conduct, and that is why I am pleading guilty today. I am and will be a better person as a result of this.”
We should also mention that this was around the same time Allison agreed to sit down for several proffer sessions to help the government prosecute Keith Raniere for good too. She actually provided them details regarding DOS’ inner workings and “regarding crimes committed by other first-line DOS masters, including assignments to seduce Raniere and efforts to find Raniere a virgin successor. Mack detailed Raniere’s role in devising assignments for Mack’s slaves, including, among other things, Raniere’s repeated requests for nude photographs from Mack’s DOS slaves; Raniere’s instructions regarding the seduction assignment; and Raniere’s encouragement of the use of demeaning and derogatory language, including racial slurs, to humiliate DOS slaves.”
It thus comes as no surprise that mere days before her sentencing on June 30, 2021 — there were several delays due to the covid-19 pandemic — Allison released a statement apologizing for her actions. It read, in part, that she has carefully taken the “opportunity” of her house arrest prior to receiving her jail term to “confront the darkest parts of myself and come to terms with the pain my actions have inflicted on so many people I love. It is now of paramount importance to me to say, from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry. I threw myself into the teachings of Keith Raniere with everything I had… This was the biggest mistake and greatest regret of my life.”
But in the end, Allison was handed down the sentence of three years in prison, followed by three years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and a fine of $20,000. She hence reported to the low-security Federal Correctional Institution-Dublin, in Dublin, California, in September 2021 to begin serving her time, just to be released early on July 3, 2023, upon serving merely 21 months. In other words, at the age of 40, Allison is now free.
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