Allison Mack Says How Costar Kristin Kreuk Introduced Her to NXIVM

Allison Mack is looking back on her early days with NXIVM.

Two years after leaving prison, the former Smallville actress explained how she became involved with NXIVM, a group presented as a self-help organization but later described by those who left as a sex cult. She said she first learned about the group through her Smallville colleague, Kristin Kreuk.

On the first episode of her podcast, Allison After NXIVM, Allison described how much fun she and Kristin had traveling together. She recalled trips to Syria, Turkey, Mongolia, and Paris, saying they especially loved Paris, where they would shop, visit museums, enjoy rosé at the Pompidou Center, and live a carefree, idyllic life.

Their friendship, and living together in New York City’s West Village in the mid-2000s, created a safe space where they could openly discuss feeling unfulfilled with their lives.

Allison explained to Kristin that she was feeling strangely empty, which didn’t make sense considering how good her life was. Kristin replied that she felt the same way.

Kristin, feeling a bit restless and unfulfilled at age 43, decided to explore a self-help group called NXIVM while she was working on the TV show Smallville in Vancouver.

Kristin, now 42, excitedly told Allison it was ‘the science of joy’ and ‘the most amazing thing.’ She explained it had significantly improved her life and strongly encouraged Allison to try it too.

Allison added, “It was all she could talk about. She was super excited about it.”

Kristin spoke highly of both Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, and Nancy Salzman, the co-founder, and encouraged Allison to attend a retreat with them.

Allison recalled the Murder in a Small Town star suggesting she participate in a weekend event. “They’re doing a weekend and I think you should do it. I think you’d really like it,” the star had said. Allison responded, “Okay, if you think I should and I’ll enjoy it, I’m in.”

TopMob News has reached out to a rep for Kristin for comment and has not yet heard back.

In 2018, Allison was arrested during an FBI investigation of a criminal organization. She admitted to blackmailing two women into working for the group by threatening to reveal private information, and in 2019, she pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering and forced labor. Allison was released from prison in July 2023 after serving two years of a three-year sentence.

Kristin has stated she initially joined what she believed was a course to overcome her shyness and improve herself, and she stopped participating around 2013.

In a 2018 social media post, she strongly denied claims that she was part of an inner circle or involved in recruiting women for sexual exploitation. She stated that she never witnessed or experienced any illegal or harmful behavior during her time there.

The actress, known for her role in Beauty and the Beast, expressed strong disapproval and disgust regarding the reports about NXIVM. She also commended the courageous women who have spoken out about their experiences.

In 2020, Keith received a 120-year prison sentence after being convicted of multiple serious crimes, including sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, racketeering, fraud, and forced labor. He is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.

In 2019, Nancy Salzman admitted guilt to conspiracy and racketeering charges, and in 2021, she received a 42-month prison sentence. She was released in March 2024.

Read on to learn more about the trial and convictions of NXIVM founder Keith Raniere.

On June 19, 2019, Keith Raniere, a co-founder of NXIVM, was convicted of multiple serious crimes, including racketeering, sex trafficking, and conspiracy to commit forced labor and wire fraud.

The accusations against Raniere, referred to as “Vanguard” by NXIVM members, stated that he led a secret group within the organization called DOS. Allison Mack, a high-ranking member of NXIVM known as a “first-line master,” allegedly recruited women to have sexual relations with him.

To become members, the women had to provide damaging photos or information that could be used to control them if they didn’t follow the group’s rules. They were also branded on their lower abdomen with a symbol combining the initials of the leaders, Raniere and Mack.

As someone who followed Keith Raniere for a long time, I saw firsthand how everything revolved around his feelings. If any woman upset him, it wasn’t just her who suffered – it felt like all of us did. If you crossed him, you immediately faced backlash – an overwhelming wave of criticism from the other women, who were essentially his ‘wives’. You’d be completely isolated, cut off from any social interaction until you conformed and fell back in line. It was a terrifying and controlling environment.

On Oct. 27, 2020, he was sentenced to 120 years in prison and fined $1.75 million.

Allison Mack, known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on the TV show Smallville, admitted in court in April 2019 that she was part of a criminal enterprise involving extortion and forced labor. She pleaded guilty to these charges, and other accusations related to sex trafficking were dropped.

In 2006, she and her Smallville co-star, Kristin Kreuk, attended a seminar in Vancouver for a program called Jness, which was presented as a women’s empowerment movement. NXIVM leaders, close to the organization’s founder Keith Raniere, were specifically present to impress them. The group made a strong effort to win her over and suggested Raniere could help advance her acting career. She accepted their invitation, traveling by private jet to their headquarters in Albany, New York, where she stayed for several weeks.

On April 18, 2019, after pleading guilty, Mack explained to the court that she had been misled. She said she initially thought Keith Raniere was trying to help people, but now realized she was mistaken.

She confessed to falsely presenting DOS as a women’s empowerment organization to attract new members. She also admitted to collecting compromising photos and personal information from members to use as blackmail, and to exploiting the labor and services of two women.

According to a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, a former roommate of Mack, who lived with her after she became involved with NXIVM, said she didn’t believe Mack knowingly participated in trafficking girls. While acknowledging Mack still deserved consequences, the roommate explained that Mack seemed to genuinely believe the organization’s leader’s claims, and that the women involved were going to change the world through his supposed special abilities.

Mack was given a three-year prison sentence in 2021, but was released early in 2023.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the case closely, and it’s important to understand all sides. Nicki Clyne, who was married to Keith Raniere – or Mack as he was known – has publicly stated that she was involved with DOS, but strongly disagrees with the characterization of it as a sex cult. She feels that label is inaccurate and doesn’t reflect her experience within the group.

As a longtime supporter, I remember watching Clyne on CBS This Morning back in September 2020, and her words really stuck with me. She acknowledged that things did happen – there’s proof of that – but she emphasized that understanding how and why those things occurred, and the motivations behind people’s choices, is a much deeper discussion. What really resonated with me, though, was when she said she wouldn’t trade her experiences for anything. It showed such strength and conviction.

The actress also mentioned she hadn’t talked to Mack in over a year. As part of his bail conditions, Mack wasn’t permitted to have any contact with people connected to NXIVM or the legal case against Raniere.

“This has been the hardest, most humbling experience of my life,” Clyne said.

Katee Clyne is famous for her role as Cally Henderson on Battlestar Galactica. After the show ended in 2008, she stopped acting for ten years. She returned to acting in 2018 with a part in the sci-fi web series Personal Space.

Nancy Salzman, a former psychiatric nurse, met Keith Raniere in 1997 and together they co-founded NXIVM in Albany. Within the organization, she was known as “Prefect.”

In March 2019, Salzman admitted to conspiring to commit racketeering, following accusations that he stole identities and created false documents connected to a lawsuit against his company.

In court, she stated she was pleading guilty because she was indeed guilty. She admitted that her actions weren’t just mistakes, but sometimes illegal, and that she had previously excused them by believing they were for a worthwhile purpose.

In so doing, she also said, “I compromised my principles.”

She was sentenced to 42 months in prison in September 2021.

Nancy’s daughter, Lauren Salzman, reportedly held preparatory ceremonies at her house for members of DOS before they were branded. According to a 2017 New York Times article, these ceremonies involved blindfolding the women and transporting them to another location for the actual branding. The report claims Lauren instructed the women to say, “Master, please brand me, it would be an honor.”

She was among the important people sent to greet Mack in Vancouver in 2006. According to former NXIVM member Susan Dones, Lauren and Allison became very close friends by the end of that weekend, as she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.

On March 25, 2019, Lauren admitted guilt to charges of racketeering and conspiring to commit racketeering. The court hearing where she pleaded guilty wasn’t publicly listed, and a record of the proceedings was kept secret until certain parts could be removed.

Working with prosecutors, Lauren testified in federal court about May. She confessed to assisting Raniere in trying to evade the FBI in 2018, after they raided the villa in Mexico where he was staying. She had traveled to Mexico with other members of DOS to attend a ceremony where they planned to reaffirm their loyalty to him.

Because she helped with the investigation, prosecutors asked the judge to be lenient. In July 2021, Lauren received a five-year probation sentence.

Clare Bronfman, the daughter of the late Edgar Bronfman Sr. and heir to the Seagrams fortune, faced accusations of funding unlawful activities. She met Raniere in 2002 and became a devoted follower of his organization, NXIVM. Eventually, she joined the board, became a major financial supporter, and reportedly used her wealth to pay for Raniere’s legal battles against those he considered opponents.

In 2003, Bronfman’s father told Forbes he believed she had lent NXIVM $2 million, though she disputed that claim. Her father, who passed away in 2013, also stated, “I think it’s a cult.”

On April 19, 2019, Bronfman admitted guilt to two crimes: helping an undocumented immigrant hide from authorities in exchange for money, and using a dead person’s credit card to benefit Raniere. As part of her punishment, she was ordered to give up $6 million.

Bronfman expressed deep regret to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, stating that while he always intended to do good and help others, he acknowledged making errors in judgment.

On September 30, 2020, she received an 81-month prison sentence. Judge Garaufis explained the harsh penalty by saying he was concerned that she had repeatedly used her money and position to threaten, control, and punish anyone who left NXIVM or was seen as an enemy of the organization.

Bronfman was released from prison into a halfway house in May 2024, per the Albany Times-Union.

Immediately after Bronfman admitted her guilt, Kathy Russell, who had been NXIVM’s bookkeeper for many years, also pleaded guilty. She admitted to one count of visa fraud for assisting in the creation of fake documents, as reported by the Albany Times Union.

Russell admitted he made a mistake. “I deeply regret the problems I’ve caused,” he said. “I went against my own beliefs, and I’ll have to accept the consequences of that forever.”

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following this case closely, and it’s interesting to note that Bronfman and Russell were the final members of Raniere’s group to accept plea deals. This means Raniere will now face trial on his own, without their support or potential testimony.

Marc Agnifilo, Raniere’s lawyer, stated to the New York Times that he believes Nancy Russell and Clare Bronfman should not have faced charges, and he’s pleased they are no longer involved in the case.

Russell was sentenced in October 2021 to two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service.

Clare’s sister, Sara Bronfman, pictured here with their mother, Georgiana, was never accused of any wrongdoing connected to Raniere or NXIVM.

Similar to her sister, she had been involved with NXIVM for many years and reportedly contributed millions of dollars to the group alongside Clare.

Mark Vicente, who was involved with NXIVM and appeared in the HBO documentary series The Vow, stated that Sara was among the people Keith Raniere most trusted.

According to a 2010 report in Vanity Fair, the Bronfman sisters spent over $150 million of their personal funds on NXIVM over six years. This included $66 million to cover Raniere’s debts, $11 million for a private jet, and significant amounts to fund NXIVM’s legal defenses against those they considered opponents. The report also claimed they attempted to hide these large expenditures from their father.

According to a friend of the sisters, their ongoing involvement with NXIVM seems to stem from personal issues and family conflict. The friend believes staying connected to the organization helps them justify their own beliefs, especially given their family’s disapproval.

In 2011, the Bronfman sisters claimed that consultant Frank R. Parlato Jr., a developer from the Buffalo area, had defrauded them of $1 million.

For several years, the FBI investigated his business activities. In 2015, he was formally accused in New York of crimes like wire fraud and defrauding the Bronfman sisters. He claimed he hadn’t committed any of these crimes, and a judge later dropped the charges related to the sisters in May 2018, as reported by The Buffalo News.

In August 2022, Parlato admitted to intentionally not filing a required tax form with the IRS. As a result, the other charges against him were dropped.

Frank Parlato carefully documented the alleged crimes of NXIVM and the resulting court cases against Raniere, Clare Bronfman, and others on his website, Frank Report. According to the New York Times, many NXIVM members first discovered the existence of DOS through his site, especially a post called “Branded Slaves and Master Raniere,” which led them to contact him for more information.

In May 2018, Parlato stated she was pleased to have contributed to the NXIVM investigation through her reporting. She also noted that numerous organizations nationwide acknowledged her information as key to the indictment of Raniere.

Raniere gave his first interview from jail to Parlato for Dateline in October 2020.

In 2017, Canadian actress Sarah Edmondson shared her story with the New York Times about her involvement in NXIVM and its secret society, DOS. She explained that she was branded with a symbol after being misled into believing it would be a small tattoo.

She told the newspaper she cried throughout the entire experience, which happened in March 2017. She described feeling detached from her own body.

After joining NXIVM in 2007, Edmondson started a chapter in Vancouver, which then drew in other actresses like Clyne and her Battlestar Galactica co-star, Grace Park.

Like former member Vicente, Edmonson was also prominently featured on HBO’s The Vow.

She explained that Lauren Salzman first introduced her to DOS, following a letter she’d written confessing to past mistakes. Edmondson said Salzman presented the group as a positive influence, a way for women to move beyond emotional vulnerabilities that society placed upon them. The actress remembered Salzman describing it as a tough, empowering training program for women.

I was really shocked when, back in May 2017, Lauren learned that Sarah and her husband, Anthony Ames, were leaving NXIVM. Then, a few months later, NXIVM actually filed a police report against Lauren and two other women from the Vancouver center, claiming we’d done something wrong. It was a scary time, but thankfully, no charges ever came of it.

Catherine Oxenberg, known for her role in Dynasty, publicly criticized NXIVM after her daughter, India, became involved with the organization. Catherine initially introduced India to the program, believing it was a simple self-help course, but India later became a member of its secret society, DOS.

Oxenberg told the Times that her daughter described the experience as something that helped her grow as a person. She remembered becoming worried when India lost a lot of weight and revealed she had stopped having her period.

In an August 2018 interview with TopMob News, author and mother Oxenberg, who wrote Captive: A Mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter from a Terrifying Cult, explained her unwavering determination. ‘I’m just naturally a mom who never gives up,’ she said. ‘Even when things seemed impossible, I kept going, believing things would eventually get better.’

India told People in October 2020 that her mother’s support had proved key to her recovery.

India explained that her mother created a supportive environment where she felt comfortable sharing her experiences, even difficult memories. When those memories resurfaced, her mother would listen without judgment. India also shared that when she had panic attacks, her mother would comfort her and reassure her that she was safe.

In 2019, India attended the final arguments of the trial against Raniere, alongside two other former members—referred to in court as “Nicole” and “Jay.”

During the trial, Jay explained that she became a ‘slave’ within the DOS system after being recruited by India. As part of this, she shared an old sex tape and private details as a form of security.

In October 2020, India told People magazine that providing collateral—which previously involved sending nude photos and sharing private family information—felt like she’d given someone the power to imprison her.

After Raniere was arrested in 2018, India returned to Los Angeles and shared her story in the Starz docuseries Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. She revealed that Mack restricted her to just 500 calories a day, aiming to keep her thin as Raniere preferred.

India explained that her initial instruction was to charm Keith. Allison had told her it was meant to help her feel safer, and India desperately wanted to think that was true.

India, having previously shared a statement about the impact of Raniere’s actions, expressed her desire to move forward and rebuild her life. She wants to be known as herself, not just as someone defined by her involvement with the group, and hopes to help others do the same.

2025-11-11 02:21

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