'Smallville' actress Allison Mack arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking in 'guru to stars' case

A television actress best known for playing a young Superman's close friend pleaded not guilty Friday to sex trafficking after federal prosecutors said she worked as a slave "master" recruiting unsuspecting women to a cultlike group led by a man who sold himself as a self-improvement guru to the stars.

Allison Mack was accused in an indictment unsealed by the federal court in Brooklyn. She entered her plea and was remanded to custody after Judge Cheryl Pollak refused a request from Mack's lawyers to release her without bail. A bail hearing will be held Monday.

Mack, 35, starred in The CW network's "Smallville." Since that series ended in 2011, she has played only minor roles. Prosecutors said she helped recruit women for leader Keith Raniere and his cult-like organization called NXIVM. She told the women they were joining what was purported to be a female mentorship group, prosecutors said.

But "the victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labor," according to federal prosecutors.

'Smallville' actress Allison Mack arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking in 'guru to stars' case