Allison Mack, ‘Smallville’ actress and OCSA grad, pleads guilty in scheme involving sex slaves for a cult-like group

NEW YORK — TV actress Allison Mack pleaded guilty Monday to charges she was involved in a scheme to turn women into sex slaves for the spiritual leader of a cult-like upstate New York group, a development that came on the same day jury selection began for a federal trial in the case.

Mack, 36, wept as she admitted her crimes and apologized to the women who prosecutors say were exploited by Keith Raniere and the purported self-help group called NXIVM.

“I believed Keith Raniere’s intentions were to help people, and I was wrong,” Mack told a Brooklyn judge.

Mack – best known for her role as a young Superman’s close friend on the series “Smallville” – said that after months of reflection since her arrest, “I know I can and will be a better person.”

The actress is to be sentenced Sept. 11 on two racketeering counts that each carry maximum terms of 20 years in prison. However, it’s likely she would face far less time under sentencing guidelines.

After her arrest last year, a federal judge agreed to release Mack on $5 million bond and place her under home detention.  She planned to live with her parents at their home in Los Alamitos as she awaited further legal proceedings, The Associated Press reported.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mack was born in Germany, where her father was an opera singer. The family later moved to Southern California and Mack graduated from the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, now called the Orange County School of the Arts.

The Register contributed to this story.