Smallville actress Allison Mack has taken control of the branding cult Nxivm following the arrest of its leader Keith Raniere on charges of keeping sex slaves, DailyMail.com has learned.

Mack, 35, who played Chloe Sullivan, one of Clark Kent's best friends in all ten series of the hit show Smallville, is now the effective ruler of the group, which once had thousands of members throughout North America.

'She is the one person still doing her best to hold the group together,' Frank Parlato, a former spokesman for the cult, revealed to DailyMail.com.

'She is still virulently working while most of the rest have just given up following Raniere's arrest. Allison is so deluded that she thinks that she can keep things going.'

Allison Mack, 35, who played Chloe Sullivan, in all ten series of Smallville, is now the effective ruler of the branding cult Nxivm following the arrest of its leader Keith Raniere

Allison Mack (seen here with Keith Raniere) has taken over his Nxivm cult since his March 25 arrest in Mexico

Raniere faced a federal judge Friday who ordered him to remain behind bars.

He responded 'Yes, your honor' when Judge Steven L. Tiscione asked whether he understood the charges the FBI filed against him - sex trafficking and forced labor conspiracy.

The 57-year-old did not enter a plea during the Brooklyn federal court hearing. His attorney said no bail is currently being requested, and issued a permanent order of detention.

'I'm feeling safe for the first time in years. I feel free,' said Raniere's ex-girlfriend, Barbara Boucher, who left him in 2009 and said she was "stalked" by members of his group.

She said that seeing him for the first time in nine years as he walked quietly into the courtroom wearing a pale green jumpsuit, she 'felt a lot of grief, like a death, because I deeply loved this man.'

'This man was brilliant and could have done a lot of good, if it weren't for his dark side,' said Boucher.

Raniere built his following using tens of millions of dollars from the inheritances of sisters Sara and Clare Bronfman, heirs to the Seagrams liquor fortune, who were devoted followers.

Parlato estimates he has spent at least $200 million of their money, losing vast sums on the commodities market, filing dozens of lawsuits against defectors and buying property.

Parlato said Mack and a small group of followers, including Battlestar Gallactica actress Nicki Clyne - who has reportedly married Mack - and Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg's daughter India are among the few devoted members of Nxivm who remain.

Catherine Oxenberg, 56, has become the face of opposition to Nxivm — pronounced Nexium — as virtually the only parent willing to go public in a bid to get her daughter to leave.

She is writing a book called Captive about her ordeal. She told People that Nxivm is a 'dangerous, mind-controlling cult'.

And her public stance has made her a heroine among others fighting Raniere.

'We were looking for a knight in shining armor, we got a princess,' Raniere's former girlfriend Toni Natalie told DailyMail.com.

'Catherine stands alone as a parent. The only ones who stood up were my mother, who is now dead, and Catherine.

Mack and a small group of followers, including Battlestar Gallactica actress Nicki Clyne and Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg's daughter India are among the few devoted members of Nxivm who remain. Mack was among a group of women caught on camera trying to chase down Mexican police officers after they arrested Raniere

Raniere was arrested four months after he fled to Mexico when reports emerged that some women who joined a group in his organization had been branded (pictured above)

'Where are these other girls' mothers? Where the hell is Allison Mack's mother? Does she live under a rock? Does she not read the newspapers?'

DailyMail.com found Mack's mother Mindy at the $1.2 million home in Los Alamitos, California, that she shares with her opera singer husband Jonathan.

Mindy Mack said she was 'not interested' in talking about her daughter's involvement before slamming the door.

Allison Mack's older brother Shannon said: 'I'm so sorry, I can't talk to you.'

Mack's press agent Michelle Bega told DailyMail.com: 'We appreciate your interest, however will not be responding to questions.'

Mack, who was once a rising Hollywood star with dozens of credits on her resume, is herself in legal danger.

She is an unindicted co-conspirator in Raniere's case, accused of recruiting girls to be her master's sexual conquests.

'I think she will probably be arrested herself within a couple of weeks,' Parlato, who now runs a blog aimed at exposing Nxivm, told DailyMail.com.

Raniere - who called himself Vanguard - is currently behind bars as Federal Inmate Number 57005-177.

Catherine Oxenberg, Stanley Zareff and Toni Natalie walk outside the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse for the Arraignment of Keith Raniere

Oxenberg (left), 56, has become the face of opposition to Nxivm — pronounced Nexium — as virtually the only parent willing to go public in a bid to get her daughter to leave

Oxenberg (pictured with Zareff), is writing a book called Captive about her ordeal with Nxivm

Raniere's ex-girlfriend, Toni Natalie (pictured center) attended the cult leader's court appearance alongside Oxenberg

Oxenberg's daughter India has been named as a co-conspirator in a criminal complaint against Raniere. Pictured above, Oxenberg, left, arrives at federal court with Stanley Zareff and Toni Natalie for Raniere's arrraignment

According to court filings, he has retained Paul DerOhannesian as his lawyer. DerOhannesian is a a former prosecutor in New York who has written a book on sexual assault trials.

Raniere was arrested in Mexico on March 25, and quickly extradited back to the United States, allegedly under pressure from former president Carlos Salinas, whose children Cecilia and Emiliano were key cult members.

Raniere had fled his base in Halfmoon, New York, a town of 22,000 people just north of Albany, in November when the federal noose began to tighten.

Mack was with him when Mexican Federal Police raided his $10,000-a-week villa in the Pacific coastal resort of Puerto Vallarta. In a video of his arrest she is heard telling fellow cult members to follow cops after Raniere's arrest.

According to the FBI complaint, Raniere formed a secret society of women within Nxivm in 2015 which he called DOS - Dominus Obsequious Sororium, a Latin phrase which roughly translates as Master of the Obedient Sisterhood.

He kept a rotating group of around 15 women for sex, forcing them to eat highly restricted diets as he liked his women to be 'exceptionally thin'.

Other women were assigned periods of celibacy when they could not have sex with anyone other than him or even masturbate.

Many members were tied down and branded with Raniere's initials on their pubic region to show allegiance to him. The brandings were carried out by 36-year-old osteopath Dr. Danielle Roberts using a cauterizing pen.

Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere had sex with a 12-year-old and believed rape and incest shouldn't be crimes Keith Raniere had sex with a 12-year-old girl after one of his harem hired her as a dogwalker specifically so he could get close to her, according to a new court document released on Thursday. And the depraved cult leader told one of his sex slaves that the age of sexual consent was too rigid and that it should be lowered to 'when a child's parent says the child is capable of consent', US Attorney Richard Donoghue told the judge who is hearing his case. Raniere, now 57, also had regular sex with a 15-year-old when he was in his 20s, and in his lectures suggested that rape and incest should not be crimes, Donoghue alleged in the letter. 'The defendant has a decades' long history of abusing women and girls,' the prosecutor wrote. Donoghue was arguing against giving Raniere bail, and was asking Judge Steven Tiscione to keep him locked up until his trial. '[T]he government submits that there is no condition or combination of conditions that will adequately assure the safety of the community, the defendant's return to Court, the defendant's compliance with the Court's directives or the integrity of the trial process,' Donoghue wrote. 'Therefore, the government respectfully requests that the defendant be permanently detained pending trial.' Raniere is charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy. Donoghue says he had 'more than 50 DOS slaves under him.' Donoghue said Raniere 'confined one Nxivm member for 18-months as punishment because she fell for another man. '[W]ith limited exceptions, the woman had extremely limited contact with her family or other members of the community and she received limited medical attention,' he wrote. 'Her period of confinement was repeatedly extended for other supposed ethical breaches, including, in one instance, because she cut her hair. 'The woman felt she could not leave because of the repercussions on her family and also because she was illegally in the United States and the defendant and other members of Nxivm had helped her illegally enter.' Raniere also physically assaulted at least two of his sex partners 'and in 2012, under the guise of mentorship, he encouraged a woman to run headfirst into a tree and to drink from a puddle.' Donoghue argued that Raniere would flee the country if he were released on bail. '[H]e has spent his life profiting from his pyramid schemes and has otherwise received financial backing from independently wealthy women,' he wrote, specifically mentioning Seagrams heiress Clare Bronfman. 'She has financed the defendant repeatedly over the years including providing him with millions of dollars and paying for private air travel costing up to approximately $65,000 a flight. She has also paid for numerous lawyers to bring suits against Nxivm critics. 'Bronfman also owns a private island in Fiji, which the defendant has visited, and both Bronfman and the defendant have contacts all around the world.' He said it took some six weeks to find Raniere in Puerto Vallarta after he fled his base in Halfmoon, suggesting he would again hide out. 'The defendant began using encrypted email and stopped using the phone that had been known to law enforcement shortly after the government began interviewing witnesses. 'The defendant also does not keep assets in his name and, through his connections and followers, has access to millions of dollars and a private island,' he added . Raniere's 'personal characteristics demonstrate that he is someone who is both a risk of flight and a danger to the community,' wrote Donoghue. He said he had spent his adult life pretending to be a 'renunciate' — someone who has given up on material possessions. But instead he spent his time 'scamming people out of money and living a secret life of luxury. 'If released, the defendant poses a risk to numerous women, including many DOS slaves who still believe they are under his control. There is a very real concern that the defendant may attempt—either directly or indirectly through his slaves—to intimidate possible witnesses against him into silence.' Advertisement

Each branding took 20-30 minutes, the New York Times reported. 'For hours, muffled screams and the smell of burning tissue filled the room,' the paper said.

Some reports have said the branding includes Mack's initials, but Natalie told DailyMail.com: 'I don't think so.'

'Keith doesn't share,' she added. 'His full name is Keith Alan Raniere and I think what looks like an "A" for Allison is actually an "A" for Alan.

'Maybe he convinced Allison that they were her initials. Who knows, that girl is so far gone. I am so afraid for her.'

Raniere initially denied that the brand was his initials but instead represented the four elements, but he said 'they rearranged it slightly for tribute'.

DOS members were treated as sex slaves by Raniere and rose through the ranks by recruiting more women to satisfy his depraved lust.

In turn, the 'slaves' were expected to provide 'collateral' - often sexually graphic pictures of themselves - which would be released publicly if they turned against him.

Some even gave him the deeds to their houses as collateral.

The cult was based in Knox Woods, a housing development in Halfmoon where members are believed to have bought some 25 homes.

Raniere would often be seen taking late night walks with young girls - who were chosen to accompany him only if he wanted to bed them.

The supposed recruitment drive in Brooklyn last month came after Nxivm leader Keith Raniere, 57, was charged with sex trafficking

Raniere was arrested in Mexico late last month (pictured above) at a $10,000-a-week luxury villa in Puerto Vallarta and extradited to Texas to face charges

Keith Raniere moved out of the Knox Woods development in Halfmoon, New York, where he lived in a small townhouse, and into this $1 million mansion in neighboring Clifton Park

The unassuming townhouse in Halfmoon, New York, where Keith Raniere took cult members for sex, is pictured left. Neighbors referred to the home as 'Keith’s f**kpad'. Knox Woods (its sign pictured right), the housing development in Halfmoon, New York, where some 25 homes were bought up by members of Keith Raniere’s cult Nxivm

Other residents in the development became so disgusted by his antics that one even turned her hose on him when he walked by.

One resident told DailyMail.com: 'He dresses like a schlub, always in a royal blue shirt and shorts or sweats in the winter.

'A few times I even saw without a shirt. He is certainly no more than 5'8', his body is sort of square - seeing him shirtless is not a pretty sight.'

He had a small townhouse - known by neighbors as 'Keith's f**kpad' - where he would take his women for sex.

'Some slaves were told that they had to collateralize all aspects of their lives, including signing over any assets, disclaiming their faith and doing things that would ruin their careers and relationships if the collateral were released,' FBI Special Agent Michael Lever wrote in his complaint to the court.

In one case, Mack - who is not identified by name in the complaint - was living with another actress when she received a text message from Raniere in the middle of the night, instructing her to tell the other woman to go to him.

Once there, Raniere told the woman - identified in court papers as Jane Doe 1 - to strip naked.

He then blindfolded her and bundled her into a car. After driving round for a while to disorient her, he led her through woods to a shack, where he tied her to a table.

Allison Mack, right, with actor Tom Welling, a former star of the long-running Smallville TV series is a high-ranking member of the sex cult

Mack's parents have lived in the same home in Los Alamitos, California, since 1983. Her mother, Mindy Mack said she was 'not interested' in talking about her daughter's involvement in Nxivm

'Another person in the room, who Jane Doe 1 did not previously know was present, began performing oral sex on Jane Doe 1 as Raniere circled the table making comments,' according to the FBI complaint.

The actress 'did not want to participate in this sexual activity, but believed it was part of her commitment to DOS and that if she broke her commitment to DOS her collateral could be released'.

Allison Mack's older brother Shannon would not talk to DailyMail.com reporters about his sister's involvement in Nxivm

On another occasion Mack took a picture of all the 'slaves' naked. She texted it to Raniere who replied 'All mine?' along with a smiling devil emoji.

Mack was recruited into Nxivm by another Smallville actress, Kristin Kreuk, who has now renounced the group saying she is 'deeply disturbed and embarrassed to have been associated' with the cult.

As Kreuk and her former boyfriend, Canadian actor Mark Hildreth, became more and more disillusioned with the group, Mack got further drawn in.

But Raniere was specific about the type of women he liked, extremely thin, long-haired brunettes. Mack, a blonde, had to work extra hard to stay within his good graces.

Raniere publicly humiliated her after she appeared in an episode of the Kevin Bacon drama The Following because it was seen as criticizing cults, said Parlato.

'Keith was furious,' Parlato said. 'He made her apologize in front of the entire community and ordered her not to take any more acting roles. That was the end of her acting career.'

But Mack gradually worked her way into Raniere's inner circle, allegedly as both sexual partner and procurer of other young girls.

Raniere's former girlfriend Toni Natalie said she can fully understand how a successful woman like Mack can fall under Raniere's spell

Natalie has a tattoo on her back that reads, 'In War, Truth is the First Casualty. . . But Not This Time'

According to the federal complaint, she told one girl she was being given 'the privilege' of seducing Raniere.

'I give you permission to enjoy it,' she said.

Natalie, the former girlfriend, said she can fully understand how a successful woman like Mack can fall under Raniere's spell.

'When I fell for Keith he was charming, he was funny, he was unassuming, he was bright and he had that 'I'm going to change the world, don't you want to come?' feeling about him.

'He draws in good people who want to make a difference and he gives them reason, a platform, a purpose to say I am going to show you a better way.

'He doesn't draw in people who say let's destroy someone's life. But he's a psychopath. For me, it stopped when things got uncomfortable, when I saw the manipulation on a massive scale.

'It was hypnotic induction, a course that was geared to elicit all of your secrets, get you to break down and emotionally and mentally purge everything and then rebuild you into what he wants you to be.'

Court documents released on Thursday argue that Keith Raniere would be a 'danger to the community' if released on bail and poses a 'significant risk of flight'

The court documents claim that Raniere's 'sex slaves' were 'seriously sleep deprived' and blackmailed with collateral

The court documents say that Raniere has a 'decades' long history of abusing women and girls' and had 'repeated sexual encounters with multiple teenage girls in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s'

The court documents say that Raniere 'told one DOS slave that incest is not wrong if the "victim" is sexually aroused by the experience'

Raniere faces charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and conspiracy to commit forced labor

Donoghue argued that Raniere is a flight risk who would flee the country if he were released on bail