Alison Mack's Involvement in Jness
By EMILY PENSABENE
Just who is Allison Mack? She is an actress, most well known for her role on the show, “Smallville,” and works with a women’s group named, Jness, run by Keith Raniere, who is also connected with the website, Nxivm. Raniere’s group focuses on teaching women to accept men as polygamists, according to FrankReport.
CNN Entertainment’s Gonzales reports that Raniere said Jness was made "to promote the furtherance and empowerment of women throughout the world.” However, based on recent news reports of sex scandals surfacing within the organization, it does not seem as if Raniere’s goal is to promote women’s empowerment.
In support, Gonzalez added that prosecutors of this case noted that Jness is a pyramid scheme, where well-known actress Mack and Raniere carry out their crimes. Due to this scheme, both Mack and Jness face charges of “sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy.”
U.S. attorney, Richard P. Donoghue, said that the women Mack recruited were exploited sexually and for labor, only satisfying Raniere.
After Mack was arrested, prosecutors said that she recruited women who fit Keith’s preferences to be in the group that he created; instead of empowering women, he took advantage of them sexually, Helling of People noted.
Mack has taken a great deal of heat in the news due to her involvement in this high profile case, yet after being indicted, she was released from jail on a $5,000,000 bond. Although released, she will remain on house arrest in California, living with her parents. With house arrest comes a multitude of rules she must follow; a list of dos and don’ts. She cannot talk to or associate herself with people connected to Nxivm, and can only communicate with her legal counsel. She does not have internet access, she cannot use any computer that has not been approved, and she must also wear a monitoring device to insure she does not go against her house arrest.
Mack pleaded not guilty and Raniere has not yet been arraigned or entered a plea. People says they received a document saying both Mack and Raniere are engaged in plea negotiations so they will most likely not go to jail, Helling reported. If Mack and Raniere are found guilty on all of their charges, the least amount of time they will face in jail is 15 years.
Works Cited
Gonzalez, Sandra. “What happened to Allison Mack?” CNN entertainment, 26 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/entertainment/allison-mack-sex-trafficking/index.html. Accessed 7 May 2018.
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Helling, Steve. “PEOPLE Explains: All About The Sex Trafficking Charges Against Smallville’s Allison Mack.” PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2018, people.com/crime/people-explains-allison-mack-smallville-sex-trafficking-case/. Accessed 7 May 2018.
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“Jness agreement requires women to keep secrets; permits changes in terms without consent of students.” FrankReport, 15 June 2017, frankreport.com/2017/06/15/jness-agreement-requires-women-to-keep-secrets-permits-changes-in-terms-without-consent-of-students/. Accessed 7 May 2018.