Wife of Smallville star Allison Mack defends convicted Nxivm cult leader
The wife of former Smallville star Allison Mack has spoken out in defence of convicted Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere.
Nicki Clyne claimed she would not swap her experience in Raniere’s notorious group “for anything” as she appeared on CBS’s This Morning with fellow supporters.
“It’s very unfortunate the way that the word “Nxivm” has been applied and is now synonymous with the term “sexual cult,” which I don’t even know how to define what that is,” said Ms Clyne.
As expected, much of the interview was cut, but hopefully this can at least be the beginning of a larger conversation about prosecutorial misconduct and the need for public accountability. Salaciousness sells, but the truth will prevail. @CBSThisMorninghttps://t.co/eNsHmcq6Uz
— Nicki Clyne (@nickiclyne) September 29, 2020
“We’re not denying that certain things took place,” she said.
“There’s evidence that certain things happened. How they happened, why they happened and why certain people chose them, that’s a whole other conversation.”
Mack and Ms Clyne got married in 2017 with the group’s former publicist telling People magazine they did so on orders from Raniere.
Battlestar Galactica actress Ms Clyne and four other supporters recently brought a petition demanding federal prosecutors in Brooklyn answer for alleged misconduct against the group’s leader.
Raniere, a self-styled spiritual guru, was convicted last year on a string of charges that he created a secret master-slave group within Nxivm called DOS.
Authorities said at trial that women in the group were forced to have sex with Raniere, have his initials branded on their bodies and go on strict diets.
Raniere was convicted of seven counts of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, attempted sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy.
Ms Clyne, who has not been charged with any crime, reportedly quit her job on the sci-fi show to follow Raniere’s group in upstate New York.
Her wife Allison Mack was a high-ranking member of the cult and has pleaded guilty to charges she was involved in the scheme to turn women into sex slaves for Raniere.
Mack is still awaiting sentencing on two racketeering charges, which could each carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Raniere is being held at a New York City detention center ahead of his sentencing in October.
Seagram’s alcohol heiress Clare Bronfman, who funded Nxivm, is also awaiting her sentencing.
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Keith Raniere: Nxivm sex cult leader found guilty of trafficking and racketeering
Nxivm: Smallville star Allison Mack pulled me deeper into ‘sex cult’, says alleged victim
