Fact check: Post misrepresents actress Allison Mack's charges for involvement in NXIVM

Devon Link, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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The claim: Allison Mack was sentenced to 3 years for "kidnapping children and forcing them to be sex slaves"

On June 30, a federal judge sentenced actress Allison Mack to three years behind bars for her role in a master-slave group within the NXIVM organization.

After a year in which QAnon put forth an array of false claims about celebrities and child sex trafficking, this prompted some on social media to mischaracterize the nature of Mack's crimes.

“Chloe from ‘Smallville’ gets 3 years in prison for kidnapping children and forcing them to be sex slaves,” claims an image shared to Instagram on June 30.

Mack has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for her involvement in NXIVM however, the charges do not include any crimes against children, officials say.

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USA TODAY reached out to the poster for comment.

The criminal enterprise within NXIVM

Mack was a leader and recruiter for NXIVM — a cult-like criminal enterprise in Albany, New York, that sexually exploited and branded women.

The group presented itself as a self-help organization, but female leaders of a subgroup, called DOS, worked to recruit other women to become their “slaves.”

Members joined with the promise of mentorship and emotional support and were pressured to turn over compromising materials that leaders would then use to manipulate the subjects into performing sex acts on NXIVM leader Keith Raniere.

During the trial, prosecutors detailed how Mack recruited and groomed women for financial, physical and sexual exploitation by Raniere, known to followers as “Vanguard."

Raniere's role in DOS was known to Mack and kept from recruitees.

Mack and Raniere would brand followers with their initials.

In October 2020, Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison for forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which included acts of child pornography possession, identity theft, sexual exploitation of children and other crimes.

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But Mack’s charges did not include crimes related to pedophilia.

Allison Mack, center, leaves federal court with her mother Mindy Mack after being sentenced, Wednesday, June 30, 2021, in New York. The "Smallville" actor was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in the scandal-ridden, cult-like NXIVM group.
Allison Mack, center, leaves federal court with her mother Mindy Mack after being sentenced, Wednesday, June 30, 2021, in New York. The "Smallville" actor was sentenced to three years in prison for her role in the scandal-ridden, cult-like NXIVM group.

Mack’s charges do not include sex crimes against minors

Mack was charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy in 2018. She signed a plea agreement admitting to racketeering charges in 2019.

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According to court documents obtained by NPR, federal prosecutors requested the court show Mack leniency after she cooperated in the investigation into Raniere’s crimes.

John Marzulli, a public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, told USA TODAY the Instagram post was “definitely incorrect.”

“Allison Mack was charged with sex trafficking (by force, fraud or coercion)," he said in an email. "She pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, not sex trafficking, but admitted to the conduct in her plea agreement.”

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He added, “She was NOT charged with trafficking minors and definitely not ‘kidnapping children and forcing them to be sex slaves.’”

Our rating: False

The claim that Mack was sentenced to three years in prison for kidnapping children and forcing them to become sex slaves is FALSE, based on our research. The actress was sentenced to three years for racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for her role in NXIVM. She was initially charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy, but those counts were dismissed as part of a plea deal. The prosecutor's office confirmed none of Mack’s charges involved trafficking minors.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Allison Mack wasn't charged with sex crimes against minors