Allison Mack Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges in NXIVM Sex Cult Case

She’s pleading guilty! Nearly a year after former Smallville actress Allison Mack claimed that it was her idea to brand women who were part of the NXIVM sex cult, she’s taking responsibility for her part in the crimes committed. On Monday, April 8, In Touch can report she officially entered a guilty plea to one charge of racketeering and one charge of racketeering conspiracy, or crimes committed through extortion or coercion. Previously, Mack has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, and she’s facing other charges for sex trafficking, identity fraud, and money laundering.

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“I have come to the conclusion that I must take full responsibility for my conduct and that’s why I am pleading guilty today,” Mack, 36, said in court. For those two charges, she could face a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Last month, NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman and her daughter, Lauren Salzman, also pleaded guilty to racketeering charges. The cult, which claimed to be a “self-help group,” has existed for decades and has a secret society called DOS in which women are branded and enslaved. Though Salzman is cited as a co-founder, the true leader of the group was Keith Raniere. In October 2017, the New York Times reported that “former members have depicted him as a man who manipulated his adherents, had sex with them, and urged women to follow near-starvation diets to achieve the type of physique he found appealing.”

In May 2018, she told the Times in a separate interview that permanently scarring the women with a cauterizing pen was her idea. “I was like: ‘Y’all, a tattoo? People get drunk and tattooed on their ankle ‘BFF,’ or a tramp stamp. I have two tattoos and they mean nothing,'” she told the Times. According to cult members, the slaves were like “sisters” to each other, with Mack calling each “circle” of slaves who belonged to a master “a little family.” Of course, Mack isn’t the only celebrity who’s been caught up in a cult. However, she does seem to be one of the few who has taken an active role in the leadership of one — and she may have to pay her dues for that in court.