Allison Mack Helped Convict Keith Raniere by Providing Secret Audio of NXIVM's Branding Ritual

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jun 22, 2021

Allison Mack — the onetime Smallville star turned NXIVM cult member — is once again making headlines, with news now breaking that she turned on Keith Raniere to help prosecutors convict the infamous cult leader.

With Mack due to be sentenced on June 30 for her role in NXIVM — the sex cult featured in the HBO docuseries The Vow — a sentencing memo filed in a federal court in Brooklyn on Monday (June 21) revealed she provided federal U.S. prosecutors with an audio tape that eventually helped convict Raniere.

According to prosecutors, the tape in question found the convicted sex trafficker discussing branding his initials on female cult members whom he groomed as "slaves," Variety reports.

For Mack's role in the cult, she pleaded guilty to racketeering charges back in April 2019 and now faces 14 to 17 and a half years in prison. However, due to her cooperation with federal prosecutors, they are now asking that Mack receives a reduced sentence.

In October 2020, Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison for his involvement in a high-profile sex trafficking case. Mack did not testify during his trial, however, and her cooperation with prosecutors is only now being revealed publicly.

The tape provided by Mack apparently contained a detailed discussion between her and Raniere outlining the disturbing NXIVM branding ritual, which involved his "slaves" being branded with his initials. During his trial, he denied any involvement in such a ritual, but the audio tape was frequently referenced by prosecutors.

"Although Mack could have provided even more substantial assistance had she made the decision to cooperate earlier, Mack provided significant, detailed and highly corroborated information which assisted the government in its prosecution," prosecutors said in the memo this week.

The FBI arrested Mack in Brooklyn on April 20, 2018, and she was charged of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labour conspiracy. At this point, it's unclear how her cooperation in the case will affect her sentencing on June 30.

As previously reported, The Vow has been renewed for Season 2 on HBO.

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