The Dark Side Of Allison Mack: A Lawbreaker's Story

Actress Allison Mack was arrested in 2018 on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy related to her involvement in NXIVM, a cult and multi-level marketing company, and its subgroup, DOS. Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021. She served 21 months in Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin, California, and was released in July 2023.

Recruiting women for Keith Raniere

Between 2006 and 2018, Allison Mack was a member of NXIVM, a cult and multi-level marketing company founded by Keith Raniere. Mack was a high-ranking member of the organisation and was allegedly second-in-command of a secret subgroup within NXIVM called "Dominus Obsequious Sororium" (DOS).

DOS was structured as a pyramid group with Raniere at the top and Mack as one of his first-line subordinates. The group was ostensibly built around female empowerment but mainly provided a means to traffic women for Raniere's gratification.

As a precondition for joining DOS, Mack and other recruiters required women to provide "collateral", including nude photographs, damaging information about friends and family, and rights to their assets. Recruits were told that this material could be released if they left DOS or spoke about its existence.

Mack reportedly recruited four women into DOS, including India Oxenberg, the daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg. Mack required her recruits to be branded with a symbol representing Raniere's initials, telling them that the brand represented the elements: air, earth, fire, and water.

In 2018, Mack was arrested by federal authorities on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy related to her involvement in NXIVM and DOS. She pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and was sentenced to three years in prison.

In her sentencing, the judge told Mack, "You capitalized on your celebrity. You were an essential accomplice."

Coercing women into sexual slavery

In the case of Allison Mack, she was involved in NXIVM, a group based in the US that has been referred to as a "cult" and a "racketeering enterprise" by the US government. Mack played a significant role in the group's operations, particularly in the recruitment and coercion of female members into a master-slave relationship. She also directed these women to seduce NXIVM's leader, Keith Raniere.

The group used a secret sorority called DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium), which translates to "Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions," as a front for their activities. To join DOS, women were required to provide nude photos or other compromising material as blackmail collateral. These women were then instructed to recruit their own "slaves," creating a pyramid scheme within NXIVM.

Mack admitted to coming up with the idea of branding these women with Raniere's initials, searing them into their flesh as a sign of their commitment. This act of branding was at the heart of the NXIVM trial, with Mack facing up to 17 years in prison for her involvement. Ultimately, she received a reduced sentence of three years due to her cooperation with prosecutors.

Branding women with Raniere's initials

In 2018, Allison Mack was arrested for her involvement in NXIVM, a cult-like organisation based in the Albany area. NXIVM was founded by Keith Raniere, who was convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced-labour conspiracy, sex-trafficking conspiracy, and two counts of sex trafficking.

Mack was a high-ranking member of NXIVM and an integral part of the operations of its secret sorority, DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium), which translates to "Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions". Mack told the New York Times that DOS was:

> about women coming together and pledging to one another a full-time commitment to become our most powerful and embodied selves by pushing on our greatest fears, by exposing our greatest vulnerabilities, by knowing that we would stand with each other no matter what, by holding our word, by overcoming pain.

However, DOS was a sub-pyramid scheme within NXIVM's larger operations. It was billed as a female empowerment group, but in reality, it was a group that operated on a slave-master relationship. To join, members had to submit blackmail material, such as nude photos, and were then branded with what looked like Raniere's and Mack's initials.

In a recorded conversation, Raniere is heard discussing his vision for the brand, which was a logo containing his and Mack's initials that was burned into the pelvis of women who were members of DOS. He said:

> The person should ask to be branded. [They] should say, 'Please brand me, it would be an honour' or something like that. 'An honour I want to wear for the rest of my life.' And they should probably say that before they're held down so it doesn't seem like they're being coerced.

In another recording, Raniere asks Mack:

> Do you think the person who is being branded should be completely nude and sort of held to the table like a sort of, almost, like a sacrifice?

Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, including the acts of extortion and forced labour. She was sentenced to three years in prison, fined $20,000, and given 1,000 hours of community service. She was released early from prison after serving two and a half years.

Receiving benefits from Raniere

In 2018, Allison Mack was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. Mack was a high-ranking member of NXIVM, a cult and multi-level marketing company founded by Keith Raniere. She was also a member of DOS, a secret subgroup within NXIVM that was structured as a pyramid with Raniere at the top. DOS was ostensibly built around female empowerment but mainly served as a means to traffic women for Raniere's gratification.

Mack received financial and other benefits from Raniere in exchange for recruiting women into DOS under false pretences. She lured women into the group by telling them they would be part of a female mentorship program. However, officials said that she had actually recruited them as "slaves" for Raniere, and some women were required to have sex with him.

In 2019, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and admitted to state law extortion and forced labor. She was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of probation, along with a fine of $20,000 and 1,000 hours of community service.

In her sentencing, Mack expressed remorse for her involvement with NXIVM, calling it "the biggest mistake and greatest regret of [her] life". She also provided crucial evidence and helped prosecutors in their case against Raniere, which resulted in a shorter sentence for her.

Entering a sham marriage with Nicki Clyne

In 2017, Allison Mack entered a sham marriage with Nicki Clyne, a Canadian citizen and fellow member of the New York-based group NXIVM. Mack, a U.S. citizen, married Clyne so that the latter could obtain legal status in the U.S. NXIVM founder Keith Raniere reportedly instructed Mack to marry Clyne.

NXIVM has been described as a "cult" and a "racketeering enterprise" by the U.S. government. The group sold expensive seminars of dubious value and was exposed in 2017 by the New York Times as a pyramid scheme and predatory organisation that coerced female members into sexual slavery. Mack, a high-ranking member of NXIVM, played an integral role in the recruitment, conditioning, and branding of female members.

In 2019, Mack pled guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges, including extortion and forced labour. She was sentenced to three years in prison and was released in July 2023 after serving two and a half years.

In 2020, Mack filed for divorce from Clyne. The two had reportedly not seen each other in years, and Mack's lawyers stated that the marriage was a sham. Clyne, a staunch supporter of Raniere, has not been charged in the NXIVM scheme. However, there have been calls for her to be deported from the U.S. due to her involvement with the group.

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