Danny Masterson, a US actor, was found guilty of raping two women and was given a sentence of 30 years to life in jail.
At the time of his offenses in the early 2000s, Masterson was a cast member of the TV show That ’70s Show.
Masterson, 47, was accused of avoiding responsibility by relying on his fame as a famous Scientologist, according to the prosecution.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo gave his victims the opportunity to read victim impact statements in court on Thursday before the sentencing hearing.
Leah Remini, a well-known former Scientologist and actor, was there for the sentencing hearing and consoled the women before and after they spoke.
US media stated that one of the women remarked, “I wish I had reported him to the police earlier.”
Masterson didn’t say anything at all during the hearing.
His wife, Bijou Phillips, was seen in court sobbing as the judge pronounced his sentence—the harshest penalty permitted.
After the initial jury was unable to reach a verdict in 2022, Masterson underwent a retrial and was found guilty in May.
Three women who were victims of the actor’s alleged sexual assault between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood home—during the height of his television fame—tried to get him to confess. The actor was found guilty.
He gave them drugs before assaulting them, according to testimony presented to the jury.
Of his three accusers, he was found guilty of rape by two of them. A mistrial was declared over the third accuser’s allegations, and the prosecution stated they had no plans to retry the case.
After being found guilty, Masterson was placed in jail because he posed a flight risk.
At the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017, Masterson was accused of rape for the first time. He refuted the charges and insisted that all of the interactions were consensual.
The Los Angeles Police Department conducted a three-year investigation before charging anyone. Due to insufficient evidence and the passing of the statute of limitations, prosecutors decided not to press charges in two other cases.
Prosecutors claimed throughout the trial that the Church of Scientology had assisted in covering up the assaults, a claim that the group has vehemently refuted.
Each of Masterson’s three accusers was a Scientologist at the time of the assaults. The Church of Scientology authorities allegedly discouraged some of the women from reporting the rape to the police, which they claim made it take them years to come forward.
Prosecutors claim that authorities from the Church of Scientology warned one survivor that she would be expelled unless she consented to a non-disclosure agreement and took a $400,000 (£320,000) payment.
Judge Olmedo infuriated the religious community by allowing discussion of Scientology doctrine and practices throughout the trial.
The Church claimed that there was “not a scintilla of proof supporting the scandalous accusations that the Church mistreated the accusers” in a statement following the verdict in May.
Jessica Barth, who started Voices in Action after the #MeToo movement, also attended the sentencing hearing on Thursday. Ms. Barth was one of the first people to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of abusing women, and her nonprofit organization promotes reporting of abuse by others.
According to an LA court official, the judge rejected Masterson’s defense team’s plea for a fresh trial prior to the hearing.