American actor, Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after a jury convicted him earlier this year of raping two women 20 years ago.
Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo of Los Angeles Superior Court handed the sentence down after hearing statements from the women, who described the lasting impact of Masterson’s actions on their lives.
George Gascón, the Los Angeles district attorney, said he hoped the women’s bravery would be an example to others. “Justice was finally served today,” he said, noting that one of his top priorities was to ensure “Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women.”
“Though we have great respect for the jury, and for our system of justice, sometimes they get it wrong and that’s what happened here,” Holley said, noting that Masterson maintains his innocence.
Masterson, 47, played Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006 and also starred in the television comedy “Men at Work” from 2012 to 2014. More recently, he appeared in the Netflix comedy “The Ranch,” but was fired from the show in 2017 after the rape allegations emerged.
The mixed verdict was delivered after a jury deadlocked on all three charges in November, resulting in a mistrial.
The retrial this spring lasted more than a month before Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape by force or fear.
The legal case against Masterson began unfolding in 2020, when he was charged with three counts. He pleaded not guilty.
One accuser, who was identified as Christina B. and who said Masterson raped her in 2001 when they were in a relationship, reported the rape to the church’s “ethics officer,” according to court documents. That officer told her, according to the documents, “You can’t rape someone that you’re in a relationship with” and “Don’t say that word again.” In May, the jury deadlocked on the charge related to her accusation.
Court documents also said that Masterson had raped another woman, identified as Jen B., in April 2003 after he gave her a drink. Jen B., who sought the church’s permission to report the rape, later received a written response from the church’s international chief justice that cited a 1965 policy letter, which for her raised concerns she could be ousted from her family and friends if she reported a fellow Scientologist to the police. Still, she reported the rape in 2004.
The church has maintained that it is not a party to the case, and should not be implicated. “There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers,” it said in a statement following the sentencing.
But Alison Anderson, a lawyer for two of the accusers, said that her clients planned to continue holding the church accountable for attempting to silence them.
“Despite persistent harassment, obstruction, and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today,” Anderson said. “They are eager to soon tell the fuller story of how Scientology and its enablers tried desperately to keep them from coming forward.”
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