Allison Mack, who played Chloe Sullivan on the hit CW series Smallville for 10 seasons, has been arrested for her involvement in a sex cult called Nxivm.

Appearing in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday on charges that she helped recruit women into the organization, the actor entered a plea of not guilty. The judge refused a request by her lawyers to release her without bail. A bail hearing will be held on Monday.

The group’s leader, Keith Raniere, was arrested for sex trafficking and forced labor last month. He was extradited to the US from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico and is being held at a federal prison in Oklahoma City, without bond.

Mack, listed “Co-Conspirator 1” in the criminal complaint, was last seen chasing after the police car that took Raniere away from the villa in Mexico where he had been hiding. Mack, 35, is said to have acted as a key recruiter for the group while also acting as a direct “slave” to Raniere, with whom she had a sexual relationship.

Nxivm, which is reportedly run out of a townhouse in Halfmoon, New York, was publicly branded as a “self-help group”. Raniere, 57, allegedly blackmailed women into becoming sex slaves and branded their skin with his and Mack’s initials. Federal authorities said Raniere had a “rotating group of 15 to 20 women with whom he maintains sexual relationships”.

Prosecutors allege that Mack lured women into a secret society within Nxivm known as “The Vow”, which was called a “women’s mentorship group”. She reportedly forced the potential entrants to provide “collateral” in the form of compromising photos or statements. Mack also reportedly forced the women to have sex with Raniere, who was her own “master”.

“As this pyramid scheme continues to unravel, we ask anyone who might have been a victim to reach out to us with information that may further our investigation,” FBI assistant director-in-charge William F Sweeney said in a statement.

If convicted on charges of sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy, Mack faces 15 years to life in prison.



As well as her role on Smallville, Mack provided her voice for the 2006 animated film The Ant Bully and was also seen in shows including Wilfred and The Following.