Among the craziest stories of 2018 thus far is the nearly-unbelievable story of Allison Mack's involvement with Nxivm, an upstate New York group that recruited young women under the guise of self-empowerment and reportedly branded and brainwashed them. Mack was considered the most high-profile recruiter in the group, as she was the leader of its inner circle, NXIVM DOS, which is being reported as a sex cult. In April, the former Smallville actress was arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn for her high-level involvement. Since then, more information about Nxivm and Mack's disturbing involvement in the group have been revealed to the public. As this potentially damning information leaked, and with the group's leader Keith Raniere also arrested shortly before Mack, Nxivm officially suspended operations due to "extraordinary circumstances." That's putting it mildly, truth be told.
On Nxivm's website (as reported by E! News), the following message has been posted on their site, claiming all operations inside the group have been suspended due to the ongoing criminal trails and the severe allegations made against the group.
It is with deep sadness that we inform you we are suspending all NXIVM/ESP enrollment, curriculum and events until further notice. We will be in touch with more information for anyone currently enrolled in upcoming events/programs. While we are disappointed by the interruption of our operations, we believe it is warranted by the extraordinary circumstances facing the company at this time. We continue to believe in the value and importance of our work and look forward to resuming our efforts when these allegations are resolved.
Allison Mack and Keith Raniere were arrested with charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and forced labor. Allison Mack was released on a $5 million bail, and appeared before federal court alongside Raniere on May 4th. The actress pleaded not guilty to all three charges made against her. The next trial date is currently set for October 1st.
As more information about Nxivm is unveiled to the public, particularly relating to DOS, which stands for Dominus Obsequious Sororium, which roughly translates to Master Over Slave Women (it was also known as "The Vow"), it was revealed that Allison Mack reportedly tried to recruit fellow celebrities like Emma Watson and Kelly Clarkson into joining Nxivm. There were reportedly dozens of people recruited to join Nxivm through Allison Mack. Meanwhile, the actress claimed she was the one who came up with branding members of the group, believing it further unified them into the organization.
We'll continue to keep you posted on this shocking and disturbing story as more details continue to arrive.
