On Wednesday, former \u201cSmallville\u201d star Allison Mack, 38, was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting in the recruitment of sex slaves for NXIVM \u2026<\/b>
\nOn Wednesday, former \u201cSmallville\u201d star Allison Mack,38, was sentenced to three years in prison for assisting in the recruitment of sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. Mack could have received up to 17 years in prison after pleading guilty in 2019 to racketeering and conspiracy charges; she had asked for leniency that would have permitted her to be sentenced to home confinement or probation. She assisted in the investigation of Raniere, prompting prosecutors to aver that her sentence should be less severe than the minimum 14 years federal guidelines suggested. Mack apologized in court, saying, \u201cI made choices I will forever regret.\u2026 I\u2019m filled with remorse and guilt. I renounced Keith Raniere and all of his teachings. From the deepest part of my soul, I am sorry.\u201d But one of Raniere\u2019s victims, Jessica Joan, told the court, \u201cShine light on who Allison Mack really is. Allison is a predator, a danger to society, and has no remorse for her victims.\u2026 She is the Ghislaine Maxwell to Keith\u2019s Jeffrey Epstein. She can blame Keith all she wants, but she is the menace cut from the same cloth. She sought me out like a predator stalking her prey\u2026 Allison Mack and Keith Raniere are the most evil monsters I\u2019ve ever met.\u201d U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis, who called Mack \u201ca willing and proactive ally\u201d of Raniere, countered, \u201cIn Nxivm language, you are a slave as well as a master. It\u2019s hard to determine a sentence for a defendant who is also her co-conspirator\u2019s victim.\u2026 Your punishment should serve as a forceful deterrent and a serious sentence is important, but I don\u2019t doubt that you were also manipulated.\u201d India Oxenberg, another victim of Raniere\u2019s, told The Hollywood Reporter, \u201cI\u2019m still in a state of disbelief, but I trust and honor the judge\u2019s decision. I hope that her victims, including myself, feel vindicated and safer, given that she has denounced Keith Raniere. We all need time to process and digest everything. This is a big moment for all of us.\u201d In 2018, Mack was arrested in Mexico, where she and Raniere had gone to evade prosecution. Last October, Raniere,60, was sentenced to 120 years behind bars, but Raniere still stated, \u201cI do believe I am innocent of the charges.\u2026 It is true I am not remorseful of the crimes I do not believe I committed at all,\u201d as NBC News reported. Judge Nicholas Garaufis stated that Raniere was \u201cruthless and unyielding\u201d in crimes that were \u201cparticularly egregious,\u201d adding that his actions were \u201ccruel, perverse and extremely serious. Despite everything that has happened and despite the countless victims who have given voice to their great pain, Mr. Raniere remains unmoved. Indeed, he maintains his innocence. To him, the brave victims who have spoken out about the abuse suffered at his hands \u2014 including those who spoke today \u2014 are liars,\u201d CNN reported. \u201cAfter the victims\u2019 statements, Mr. Raniere\u2019s lawyer, Mr. Agnifilo, argued that his client never intended to hurt any women, saying he was in love with them and simply had trouble dealing with breakups. In a stunning moment, Judge Garaufis interrupted Mr. Agnifilo in the middle of his speech, yelling, \u2018No!\u2019 Garaufis added, \u2018It\u2019s an insult to the intelligence of anyone who listens,\u2019\u201d according to The New York Times. Prosecutors wrote that since his conviction in 2019, Raniere remained \u201cunrepentant\u201d with \u201cno empathy for his victims\u2026 In his communications with his supporters, Raniere repeatedly attempts to cast himself as a victim of persecution and harassment from the government and from unknown enemies.\u201d Raniere founded NXIVM in 1998; over the next 19 years,17,000 people were recruited. A sub-sect named DOS included women as his sexual slaves and under his strict control. The indictment against Raniere stated: DOS operates as a pyramid with levels of \u201cslaves\u201d headed by \u201cmasters.\u201d Slaves are expected to recruit slaves of their own (thus becoming masters themselves), who in [turn] owe service not only to their own masters but also to masters above them in the DOS pyramid. Raniere alone forms the top of the pyramid as the highest master. Other than Raniere, all participants in DOS are women. Raniere\u2019s status as head of the pyramid was concealed from all newly recruited slaves, other than those directly under Raniere. Oxenberg, a DOS \u201cslave,\u201d stated she was \u201cinstructed\u201d to seduce Raniere and branded with Raniere\u2019s initials, adding, \u201cI was branded with a cauterizing pen. This extremely painful procedure lasted for over 30 minutes and took months to heal. I may have to live the rest of my life with Keith Raniere\u2019s initials seared to my flesh. I am not sure how I will ever be able to fully put this behind me.\u201d She continued, \u201cI was totally frozen, leaving my body so (that) I didn\u2019t have to be with you when you would rub your fingers across my brand without me knowing it was your monogram you gazed and smiled at.\u201d The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. 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