'That '70s Show' actor Danny Masterson could get decades in prison at sentencing for 2 rapes
CTV
'That '70s Show' star Danny Masterson could get as much as 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
"That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson could get as much as 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo is set to sentence the 47-year-old actor after ruling on a defense motion for a new trial that she's very likely to reject, and after hearing impact statements from the victims.
A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on May 31 after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson's Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom "That '70s Show."
The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.
The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December and a mistrial was declared.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology -- where all three women were also members at the time -- to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.
