LOS ANGELES: ’That ‘70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women who on Thursday said that the Church of Scientology sought to protect the actor and intimidate them into silence.
The 47-year-old actor and prominent Scientologist, who starred in the retro TV comedy for eight seasons until 2006, was convicted in May in a second trial. A jury deadlocked on a charge that he raped a third woman.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo of Los Angeles Superior Court imposed the maximum sentence allowed by law. Masterson, who has been in jail since his conviction, will be eligible for parole in 25-1/2 years.
The case drew attention in part because Masterson met the women through the Church of Scientology, and his accusers said the organization discouraged them from contacting law enforcement.
The Church of Scientology denied that claim and said Masterson’s religion should not have been an issue in the case, calling it “an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment.”
Prosecutors based the case on Scientology and “fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry,” the organization said after the sentencing.
The women said Masterson drugged and raped them in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his house in the Hollywood Hills.
With his wife, actor Bijou Phillips, and his brother, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ actor Christopher Masterson seated nearby, Masterson showed little reaction on Thursday as the women gave victim impact statements. He was offered the chance to speak, but declined.
“I forgive you. Your sickness is no longer mine to bear,” said one victim, identified as Jane Doe 2 in the case.
The woman, who was a member of the Church of Scientology when she met Masterson, described the religious organization as an “enabler and protector” for him and said she was “terrorized and harassed” by the church when she tried to speak out about her rape.
“Rape is a theft of the spirit,” she said, adding that she developed PTSD and her promising acting career withered.
