US actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to life in prison for raping two women. Masterson will serve at least 30 years of this sentence.
At the time of the crimes in the early 2000s, Masterson was starring in That 70’s Show.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson, now 47, used his position in the Scientology sect to prevent victims from pressing charges.
“I wish I had reported him to the police earlier,” one of the women said during the hearing yesterday.
“I forgive you, I don't have to bear the burden of your illness anymore,” another woman said, according to the Reusters agency.
Masterson did not speak during the hearing.
When it was announced that he had received the maximum sentence, he and his wife could not hold back their tears.
Masterson has been tried before, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict in 2022.
Following a retrial, he was found guilty in May 2022.
Masterson was arrested after his sentencing.
Three women had filed complaints against Masterson at the height of his fame between 2001-03.
The women said they were drugged before they were sexually assaulted.
At the end of the trial, Masterson was convicted of raping two of these women.
“These women bravely spoke out about what happened to them and participated directly in two separate trials,” Alison Anderson, a lawyer for the two women, told the BBC:
“Despite obstruction and threats, they ensured that this brutal sexual predator was brought to justice.”
The accusations against Masterson first surfaced during the #MeToo movement in 2017.
Masterson, who denied the charges, said the sexual relations were consensual.
In the investigation, prosecutors alleged that officials from the Church of Scientology forced one of the raped women to sign a confidentiality agreement that included a $400,000 payment, saying she would be expelled from the church if she pressed charges.