Allison Mack’s mother has written a letter to Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis. A portion is redacted. Curiously so is her name and the name of her husband, though their names are well known to Frank Report readers as Melinda and Jonathan Mack.
Allison has lived with her parents in their home in Los Alamitos California for the last three years following her arrest and a court ordered home detention. Her is Mindy Mack’s letter to the judge, filed June 25, 2021, less than one week from her daughter’s scheduled sentencing.
By Melinda ‘Mindy’ Mack
Dear Judge Garaufis,
As I stood before the judge at Allison’s bond hearing, Allison dressed in orange prison scrubs, handcuffed, I bowed my head and wondered, “How did we get here?”
I responded affirmatively when the judge asked me if I was willing to submit all our families assets to secure our daughter’s release. I could never have imagined such a scenario. I know that I, above all people, have the most comprehensive experience of Allison’s journey over the past three years and I feel the weight of responsibility to give you a whole and complete impression of who my daughter is. I am not a skilled writer but I assure you I speak from the heart.
First I would like to introduce myself and give you some background on our family and Allison’ s childhood. My name is [redacted by Mack’s attorneys]. I am Allison Mack’s mother. My husband [redacted] and I have been married for 46 years. [redacted].
Allison is the middle child in a family of 3 children. [redacted but it is father, Jonathan] is a retired opera and concert singer and I am a retired Montessori teacher. When Allison was 9 and her brother was 11 their baby sister was born, completing the family. Allison, from infancy, was a people person.
Given her naturally charismatic personality, at the age of 4 years, I decided to see if she might have success as a model for print and commercial advertising. After a few months, she started booking jobs and was excited to be a part of the filming process. As she got older, she continued to grow as an actress, booking episodic spots on TV series and small parts in feature films.
Young Allison MackMembers of the film crews she worked with consistently told me that she was a delight to work with and that they hoped one day to have a little girl like Allison. When she started attending elementary school her teachers reported to me that she was a sweet child that showed kindness and a willingness to help other children in the classroom, including those the other children rejected.
Allison excelled academically and enjoyed participating in school theatrical productions. She attended the [redacted].
Allison liked bringing her school friends to our home. She always wanted to help the friends who were struggling in their relationships with their families. Her passion for pursuing opportunities in film and television intensified as she got older and her father and I remained committed to supporting her dream.
She booked a TV series for Disney when she was 15 and continued working throughout the rest of her high school years, graduating from an independent study program designed for children in show business. She booked a TV series that filmed in Los Angeles when she was 16 and lived with a friend of the family in order to be closer to the set. When Allison was 18 she booked a TV series that filmed in Vancouver, Canada.
On one of her visits home she shared her excitement about a personal growth program she had heard about from a friend, Nxivm.
I later learned that even though she had plenty of money to support a very comfortable lifestyle, a career she was excited about and a network of interesting and varied friends, she felt empty, like something was missing.
Allison decided to enroll in the introductory Nxivm seminar being presented in Vancouver. She encouraged me to join her in her exploration of Nxivm. I recognized an opportunity to strengthen my relationship with Allison by attending the Nxivm seminar, so I too enrolled. Having never participated in any personal growth program, I found the information to be very thought-provoking and I could see how my life might be enriched. I returned to our home in Southern California with the hope that our connection through Nxivm would revive our close relationship.
[Redacted]
“Allison Mack as Chloe in SMALLVILLE, on The CW Network.
Allison continued to attend a variety of Nxivm seminars offered in Vancouver and occasionally traveled to Albany, NY (the location of the headquarters for Nxivm) for additional courses. When Allison had completed her contract in Vancouver she made the decision to move to New York City to try and build a career in theater. She traveled frequently to Albany to participate in Nxivm classes and social gatherings.
Allison Mack met Keith Raniere
She was encouraged to put her acting career on hold and focus on her personal growth. She moved to Albany to live there fulltime. I was concerned about the level of commitment the Nxivm community expected of her. They were all expected to report their activities, goals, weight and diet to select members of the community, including their successes and failures in these areas.
Punishments and rewards were given based on performance. The community’s expectations and demands caused Allison to be sleep deprived. She survived on 3-4 hours of sleep per night.
Allison was a significant member of the community. She was the member most capable of nurturing new members and welcoming them into the community. When new people came in and had questions about the curriculum, they were directed to Allison.
On more than one occasion, while I was staying with her in Albany, someone would appear on her doorstep late in the evening, struggling to understand the concepts presented in that day’s lecture. She would stop whatever she was doing and focus on them and their struggle.
Allison during the DOS days with her mother Mindy
Her home became known as the “Womb.” When people in the community learned that I was her mother they would joyfully exclaim that they loved Allison! She had been there for them with kindness and patience in their moments of crisis and confusion.
I had concerns about Allison’s willingness to accommodate the community’s requirements of her but she appeared to be pursuing a path she thought would bring fulfillment. Allison told me that Keith had asked her if she would be interested in building a program to help performing artists succeed. She jumped at the chance to work with the man she identified as her “Guru.” She worked tirelessly to build the program that became known as “The Source”.
[Redacted]
Father Jonathan Mack
About three months before her arrest, while she was home on a visit, she shared with me that she had become involved in a secret sorority that was formed within the Nxivm community with the intention of empowering the women to be stronger and more independent.
She was very excited about her potential for growth and the relationships formed with sorority members. [redacted] began to realize that the concerns I had about the Nxivm community were valid and that something very dark was unfolding. My daughter was involved in something that she was unable to reasonably evaluate.
She was being manipulated to obey Keith Raniere, believing it was essential for her own growth. I spoke to my son about my concerns and he gave me a book to read about the nature of cults. He had long suspected NXIVM fit the cult profile.
[Redacted]
About five days later Allison was arrested.
[redacted]
In the beginning of her time with us she was very emotional and confused about how this could have happened to her, that she did nothing wrong. In her mind she was following Keith’s guidance in helping herself and other women to conquer their attachments and limitations. She was angry that she had been singled out for punishment, when many women were equally involved in the sorority. Some days she would stay in bed weeping and other days she would rage and then feel regret for losing control.
[redacted]
Because of her high profile as a TV-star she was hounded and publicly humiliated by the media. The shame she felt was crushing her soul. It was very emotional for me to watch her day after day process what had happened and try to reconcile how her actions had such negative consequences. Her intentions were always to help the people she considered friends and she was horrified at the prospect of having done the opposite. She refused to consider that she had been manipulated by Keith and believed his directions were always to encourage her enlightenment. She became angry when I suggested she had been brainwashed by Keith. She told me she had chosen all her actions and that she wasn’t “crazy.” She clearly did not know what brainwashing meant.
Allison Mack with her mother Mindy
[redacted]
When Allison was informed that she was allowed to attend school she immediately enrolled in classes [redacted] I was delighted! As proud of her as I was for the work she did on the TV show, I knew that she would flourish in college. She loves learning and exchanging ideas and has always had a curiosity about the world around her. She attended [redacted] graduating with honors in Spring 2020 with a 4.0 GPA. Allison made the Dean’s list every semester. She was invited to be one of the valedictorians at her graduation. I watched her dive into the philosophy and English curricula, establishing relationships with her professors and the students. She was invited to be a member of Phi Theta Kappa, (the academic honor society). The faculty advisor for the society asked Allison to take a more active role in leadership but she thought it best to decline, due to her circumstances.
While she was in school she got a job working for a catering company working an average 5 to 10 hours per week. The job was a marvelous experience for her.. Coming from a background in show business, Allison had always been the one being served. In her catering position she was now the one serving, giving her an entirely new perspective.
[redacted] She applied to the University of California at Berkely was accepted and received a scholarship. Due to the pandemic she has remained in our home attending classes online. She has consistently carried a full class load and is scheduled to graduate in Spring 2022 with a double major in Rhetoric and Psychology.
When Allison began her online education at Berkeley she anticipated that her experience would be similar to her time at [redacted] She was enrolled in Zoom classes and participated in class lectures.
It was a sad moment for Allison to realize the limitations on her college experience but she has kept a positive attitude about school and is looking forward to future semesters. She finds the rigorous curriculum at Berkeley more challenging than community college and rises to the challenge. After Berkeley, Allison is interested in attending graduate school.
In addition to furthering her education, Allison wanted to be a part of a spiritual community, so she started attending a nondenominational Christian church near our home. Allison has always been a very spiritual young woman looking for enlightenment. She has found comfort in the community of church fellowship. [redacted]
Her friend has given her much needed support and reflection as Allison unpacks the events of her life leading to this moment. [redacted]. She is eager to enrich and inform her spiritual journey in preparation for her graduate studies.
Repairing the relationship with her brother has been of utmost importance to Allison. [redacted].
As Allison started to understand the depths of deception and betrayal she experienced at the hands of Keith, she began to take responsibility for her nefarious behavior.
[Redacted]
Mindy Mack leaves court after a hearing for her daughter.
As my son observed, “We’ve had Hollywood Allison and NXIVM Allison and we finally have Our Allison back!”
The experience of observing Allison’s rehabilitation over the past 3 years has been a steady process of her becoming acquainted with who she is and where she is going in a life guided by her own internal compass. Allison is committed to learning from past mistakes and using those life experiences to inform future choices. She becomes more in tune with her inner voice every day.
Please be assured that Allison’s friends and family are prepared to move heaven and earth to support her throughout her rehabilitation process. She does not make the journey alone, rather she has the love and care of people dear to her to reflect back to her the beautiful human being we know her to be.
Sincerely,
