‘Smallville’ actress pleads guilty in sex cult case

Smallville actress Allison Mack has pleaded guilty in the sex-trafficking case related to Women’s mentorship group “Nxivm”(pronounced NEX-ee-um).

In court on Monday, Mack admitted to “state law extortion”, “racketeering”, “racketeering conspiracy charges”, and “forced labour”. During the pleading, Mack tearfully told a judge that she first joined the cult-like group, lead by Keith Raniere, known as Nxivm to “find purpose” as she was unsatisfied with her life as an actress.

Federal prosecutors have said that she soon began recruiting other women into a secret sect within Nxivm in which women were branded with Raniere’s initials and were beholden to him.

During her lengthy, tear-filled confession at Federal District Court in Brooklyn, Mack admitted to luring women into Nxivm, where they were extorted and coerced into following Raniere’s order and explained that she collected incriminating evidence against members, which she wielded to blackmail the women into performing “services” for her and the group, which prosecutors say included having sex with 58-year-old Raniere. The organisation was set up to make women think “they could suffer serious harm” if they did not follow orders, she said.

“I must take full responsibility for my conduct,” Mack said. “I was lost.”

Her arrest in April 2018 was part of a larger federal case against high-ranking members of Nxivm, including Raniere and four others. Mack faces up to 20 years in prison on each count to which she pleaded guilty. She is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

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