According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smallville actress Allison Mack was arrested on Friday in connection with a case involving sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labour conspiracy.
Mack, best known for her role on Smallville as Clark Kent’s tech-savvy friend Chloe Sullivan, was allegedly involved in an organisation called NXIVM, a group that operated under the guise of being a female mentorship programe, created and led by Keith Raniere, also known as “Vanguard.” “The victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labour, to the defendants’ benefit," United States attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement. Raniere has been in custody since he was arrested in Mexico in March.
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Mack was allegedly introduced to NXIVM in 2006 by her Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk, according to the New York Post, who recently admitted to her involvement in a statement via Twitter. Kreuk denied any involvement in the “inner circle” of NXIVM and the recruitment of “sex slaves.” The actress also denied witnessing any "illegal or nefarious activity" during her time with the programme.
— Kristin Kreuk (@MsKristinKreuk) March 29, 2018
Kreuk cut ties with NXIVM roughly five years ago, and has had “minimal contact” with anyone still involved since, including Mack. Mack, on the other hand, became further involved with the “cult” and even helped come up with the idea of “branding” victims’ skin with the initials KR (Raneiere’s) and AM (Mack’s) near the groins, Frank Parlato, Artvoice publisher and editor in chief who is credited with breaking the story, told the Post.
“Allison was used, as was Kristen, as a lure to bring in other women because of their celebrity status. [Mack] started as a slave and she became a slave master,” Parlato told the Post. “Her nickname among defectors is ‘Pimp Mack.’”
A rep told THR she had “no comment” pertaining to Mack’s arrest.
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