WASHINGTON – An actress from the US TV series “Smallville” has beenarrested on charges of sex trafficking for recruiting women to a purportedself-help group in which they were forced to have sex with its leader, USprosecutors say.

Allison Mack, 35, who was arrested Friday, recruited women for whatdescribed itself as a female mentorship group, US attorney Richard Donoghuesaid.

The leader of the group was one Keith Raniere, also known as “Vanguard,” itsaid.

“The victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labor, to thedefendants’ benefit,” the prosecutor said.

The women were branded with a symbol containing the initials of the leaderof the group, which was based in Albany in upstate New York.

Rainiere was arrested on sex trafficking charges in Mexico in March.

The statement said that during the past 20 years, Raniere established aseries of purported self-help programs within his umbrella organization,called “Nxivm” (pronounced NEX-i-um). It has operated centers in the UnitedStates, Mexico, Canada and South America.

It featured a pyramid scheme, as courses cost thousands of dollars each andparticipants were encouraged to pay for additional classes and recruitothers in order to rise within the ranks.

Mack is accused of co-creating a Nxivm program that recruited actors.

“As detailed in court filings, in 2015, Raniere created a secret societywithin Nxivm called ‘DOS,’ an acronym that stands for a Latin phrase thatloosely translates to ‘Lord/Master of the Obedient Female Companions,’ or’The Vow.’ DOS operated with levels of women ‘slaves’ headed by ‘masters.'”

“Raniere stood alone at the top of the pyramid. Other than Raniere, allmembers of DOS were women. Mack is one of the women in the first level ofthe pyramid immediately below Raniere,” the statement charged.

Mack played Chloe Sullivan in “Smallville,” a show about the raising ofClark Kent in Smallville, Kansas, before he became known as Superman. Theseries lasted 10 seasons.

Mack also had roles in the movies “The Ant Bully” (2006) and “Honey, WeShrunk Ourselves!” (1997). – APP /AFP