'Smallville' Actress Allison Mack Arrested in Alleged Cult Sex Trafficking Case
https:// www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/smallville-actress-allison-mack-arrested-alleged-cult-sex-trafficking-case-1104575
The 35-year-old will be arraigned Friday afternoon.
Allison Mack was arrested Friday in connection with a case involving an alleged cult leader, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
The Smallville actress, along with NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere, also known as “Vanguard,” was charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The 35-year-old Mack will be arraigned Friday afternoon.
“As alleged in the indictment, Allison Mack recruited women to join what was purported to be a female mentorship group that was, in fact, created and led by Keith Raniere,” United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement. “The victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labor, to the defendants’ benefit."
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, over the past two decades Raniere established a series of purported self-help programs under the name NXIVM, based in Albany, New York, with centers in the United States, Mexico, Canada and South America. Mack and other cult "masters" allegedly recruited slaves by telling them they were joining a "women-only organization that would empower them and eradicate purported weaknesses that the NXIVM curriculum taught were common in women."
“As this pyramid scheme continues to unravel, we ask anyone who might have been a victim to reach out to us with information that may further our investigation," FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney said in a statement.
Mack was a series regular on Smallville, playing Chloe Sullivan. She also played Amanda on Wilfred. She's appeared in multiple films, including Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves and The Ant Bully.
Mack's rep did not respond to a request for comment.