Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison
That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women.
On Thursday, Sept. 7, Judge Charlaine Olmedo announced the lengthy prison sentence in Los Angeles, Calif. It's said Masterson will be eligible for parole after first serving 30 years behind bars.
The Independent reports that a jury made up of seven women and five men previously found the 47-year-old guilty of two counts of rape back in May. The actor is said to have assaulted the two women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
A third victim, who previously dated the former TV star, had also come forward with allegations of being raped by Masterson, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on that account. All three of the women were former members of the Church of Scientology, which Masterson is still actively part of.
In her coverage of the trial, Legal Affairs and Trials reporter Meghann Cuniff wrote that while declaring the prison sentence, Judge Olmedo told the actor, "Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that's why you are here."
The judge is said to have added, "You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible. … You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred."
Masterson—who did not take the stand in his 2022 trial, which ended in mistrial, or 2023 his trial—has repeatedly denied the sexual assault allegations, per NBC News.
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