In April, I wrote that Smallville actress Allison Mack had been arrested as part of an extensive investigation into a sick and twisted sex-cult connected to powerful Hollywood interests.

In June, Mack admitted that to actually branding captive women in the cult and that it had been her idea.

This week, another prominent woman, Clare Bronfman, the billionaire daughter of former Seagram chairman Edgar M. Bronfman, was arrested amid a group of five more women.

From Bloomberg […] The new charges add a bizarre twist to a sensational case that generated headlines with the April arrest of Allison Mack, 35, an actress who allegedly recruited slaves for Raniere. A month earlier, Raniere, 57, was apprehended in Mexico and accused of sex trafficking and forced labor. He’s being held without bail. Both deny wrongdoing.

Bronfman, 39, is one of seven children of her father, a second-generation heir who captained Seagram’s expansion during his years leading the company. She, Kathy Russell, 60, Lauren Salzman, 42, and Nancy Salzman, 64, were allegedly members of Raniere’s inner circle who recruited and groomed sexual partners for him.

Prosecutors said Nxivm operated like a pyramid scheme, charging participants thousands of dollars for courses while encouraging them to sign up for more and recruit others. Raniere created a “secret society” within the organization in 2015, known as DOS, with women serving as “slaves” overseen by “masters,” according to prosecutors.

Recruits were expected to provide “collateral” before joining — including damaging information about friends and family, nude photographs and rights to assets — that could be used against them if they revealed the existence of the organization or tried to leave, prosecutors said. Many “slaves” were branded on their pelvic areas with a cauterizing gun with a symbol that incorporated Raniere’s initials, according to prosecutors. (read more)

Mack is still free on $5 million bail until a trial scheduled for October later this year.