At the trial, three women stood before Danny Masterson, accusing him of raping them some 20 years ago. American actor, prominent member of theChurch of Scientology known for his role in the series “That’70s Show”, was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison for two s by a court in Los Angeles.
The 47-year-old comedian, who had been convicted in June, was thus sentenced to the maximum sentence he faced. During his trial, three women, also Scientologists, accused him of raping them at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. The jurors ruled in favor of two of them and did not reach unanimous necessary to pronounce a verdict on the third. At the hearing, the prosecution had estimated that the actor had “drugged and ” his victims.
Suspicious role of the Church of Scientology
This case, triggered in 2017 in the wake of accusations against theex-producer Harvey Weinstein which caused the birth of #MeToo movement, has also raised questions about the role of the Church of Scientology. Two of the complainants notably ured that the organization, very well established in Los Angeles, had dissuaded them from contacting the police.
Mr. Masterson’s defense insisted that the plaintiffs’ story has evolved over the years and suggested that bias against Scientology may have motivated the trial. At a previous trial in Novembera different jury had refused to decide, unable to reach unanimity.
Danny Masterson rose to prominence in the late 1990s for his role in the series ” That’70s Show alongside Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. He also most recently appeared alongside the latter in the Netflix series “The Ranch”, but was let go in 2017 after Los Angeles police confirmed they were investigating ault charges against him.
After the actor’s arrest in June 2020, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said it had dropped two other ault charges against him, due to lack of evidence and because the facts were time-barred. .