Star of “That 70s Show” and Netflix’s “The Ranch,” Danny Masterson, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for forcible rape. The star fell from the top of the sitcom world just a few years ago when allegations of rape first caused Netflix to pull his contract and remove his character from “The Ranch,” a show that he starred in with anti-human trafficking activist Ashton Kutcher.
According to a statement shared by Fox News Digital, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón had the following to say in the report: “This has been a long and arduous road for the victims of Mr. Masterson. They not only survived his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to victims.”
He continued on, saying, “I applaud their courage for coming forward and participating in this process. My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others.”
Fox News further reported that according to Masterson’s team, appeals will be made due to flaws with the trial that they believe will lead to a lesser sentence for their client. Shawn Holley, Masterson’s lawyer, said, “For the past several months a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing transcripts of the trial. They have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both the state and federal courts.”
He continued on with a strongly worded statement about his opinion on the validity of the decision. “The errors that occurred in this case are substantial and, unfortunately, led to verdicts that were not supported by the evidence. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that’s what happened here,” Holly noted.
Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, adding another layer to the mystery surrounding the case. While for a long time, it was believed that the church sought to hide the allegations against one of its premier members, they shared a statement indicating that was not the case.
The statement said, “The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement. Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE. There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked.”
This may very well mark the end of a career that spanned generations and graced the television sets of homes for three decades. While his work will live on, Danny Masterson’s name will forever be marred by the conviction and the sentence that he received.
"*" indicates required fields