US actor Danny Masterson has been handed a 30-year to life prison sentence for the rape of two women. Masterson, known for his role in the TV series “That ’70s Show,” committed these crimes during the early 2000s. Prosecutors contended that Masterson, aged 47, had exploited his status as a prominent member of the Church of Scientology to evade accountability.
During the sentencing hearing, held on Thursday, Judge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the victims to share their victim impact statements in court. Prominent former Scientologist and actor Leah Remini was present at the hearing, offering support and comfort to the women both before and after they delivered their statements. One of the survivors expressed regret for not reporting the crimes to the police sooner, as reported by US media.
Throughout the hearing, Danny Masterson remained silent. As the judge pronounced the maximum penalty allowed, which amounted to a 30-year to life prison sentence, Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, was seen in the courtroom breaking down in tears.
Masterson’s conviction came in May during a retrial, as the initial jury in 2022 couldn’t reach a verdict. The actor was found guilty based on the testimony of three women who reported sexual assaults that occurred at his Hollywood home from 2001 to 2003, during the peak of his television career. It was revealed during the trial that drugs had been administered to the victims before the assaults took place. He was convicted of rape against two of the accusers, while the charges brought by the third accuser resulted in a mistrial, with prosecutors indicating no plans for a retrial.
The allegations against Danny Masterson first emerged in 2017 amid the #MeToo movement. He consistently denied these accusations, asserting that all encounters were consensual. The charges followed a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, with prosecutors choosing not to pursue charges in two additional cases due to insufficient evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology had played a role in concealing the assaults, an allegation firmly denied by the organization. At the time of the assaults, Masterson and all three accusers were affiliated with Scientology. Some of the women disclosed that it took them years to come forward because Scientology officials discouraged them from reporting the rapes to the police. Prosecutors also revealed that Scientology officials attempted to silence one survivor through a non-disclosure agreement and a payment of $400,000 (£320,000).
The trial further stirred controversy as Judge Olmedo permitted discussions about the beliefs and practices of Scientology, which drew criticism from the religious community.
In a statement following the May verdict, the Church of Scientology stated that there was “not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers.”
The sentencing hearing on Thursday was attended by Jessica Barth, who founded Voices in Action in response to the #MeToo movement. Barth was among the first women to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of abuse, and her nonprofit aims to encourage others to report instances of abuse.
Before the hearing, the judge denied a motion for a new trial submitted by Masterson’s defense team, according to a court official in Los Angeles.
