Former television actress Allison Mack, best known for her role in Smallville, has pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to racketeering charges related to her role in Keith Raniere's alleged sex cult, NXIVM.
Mack, 36, faces charges including sex trafficking, identity fraud, and money laundering for her alleged leadership position in the master-slave sex ring called NXIVM. The cult grew out of a self-help enterprise called Executive Success Programs, Inc., founded in 1998 by Raniere and Nancy Salzman.
Salzman, 64, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in the case in March. In a statement to the court she apologised for her criminal acts which included hacking into followers' emails in order to blackmail them and destroying evidence that could have been used against NXIVM in court.
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In addition to Rainiere, Salzman's daughter Lauren, and Seagram's heiress Claire Bronfman face charges in a trial that is expected to begin late April. Earlier on Monday, jurors received a questionnaire "asking candidates for their opinions about 'rich individuals,' about people who 'engage in relationships with multiple sexual partners' and whether they 'believe that people under the age of 17 should be able to consent to sex with adults.'"
Mack stands accused of finding, recruiting, and controlling the women who joined the inner circle of Raniere's NXIVM, known as DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium, or Master Over Slave Women). The woman were then allegedly exploited for labour and sex, physically and mentally abused, branded with the group's logo, and deprived of food.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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