Smallville actress Allison Mack has been sentenced to three years in prison for her role in the NXIVM group, described as a sex cult. Mack is best known for her role as Superman's best friend, Chloe Sullivan, from 2001 to 2011. She plead guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges after her 2018 arrest.
Mack was part of an organization called NXIVM, started by Keith Raniere, who portrayed the group as a self-help group for women. However, within the group, Raniere groomed some of the women to become his sexual partners. He formed a sex cult within the organization called "Dominus Obsequious Sororium" (Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions). Women accuse Raniere of branding them with his initials, blackmailing them, and forcing them into sex slavery. Mack was accused of recruiting women to join NXIVM as Raniere's associate and manipulating them into being sex slaves for their spiritual leader. Raniere has already been sentenced to 120 years in prison.
Mack was officially sentenced to three years in prison for her involvement in NXIVM, according to Entertainment Tonight Canada. CBS New York reporter Alice Gainer also live-tweeted the hearing, mentioning that Mack received 1,000 hours of community service, three years probation, and a $20,000 fine for her actions.
Before the June 30 sentencing, Mack wrote a letter to the court that apologized to the victims for her involvement. She described the actions as the biggest regret of her life and apologized to the women she put in harm's way by recruiting them to the group. Mack was facing anywhere from 15-years to life in prison. Initially, her lawyers requested that she receive no jail time, considering her remorse for her actions. But her guilty plea, her apology letter, and overall cooperation throughout the trial likely helped her receive a lighter sentence.
The long-running trial surrounding the NXIVM sex cult seems to be coming to a close, but it's still shocking nonetheless. A group working under the guise of helping women not only deceived them, but its leader inflicted some of the worst abuse imaginable on those who became his victims. And Mack's Hollywood status undoubtedly attracted more women to join the group, so it's unsurprising she received jail time. However, the light sentence for a major accomplice in a sex trafficking organization may not feel righteous to the victims of trafficking. The takeaway is that sex slavery and human trafficking is rampant in the modern-day, even in the U.S. Sometimes the involvement of big-name celebrities is used as a recruiting tactic, such as the Smallville actress's role in NXIVM.