The actor was found guilty of two counts of rape. He faces almost life in prison.
Actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison. Masterson is alleged to have raped two women in his Los Angeles home in 2003. The 47-year-old is best known for his role as Hyde in the sitcom “The Wild 70s”.
Second conviction in the wake of #MeToo
The court in the Californian city made its ruling on Thursday (September 7th). The trial began in 2020 after investigations were carried out at the behest of the victims and another person. The allegation is that Masterson lured two women into his home under a pretext and planted drugs on them without their knowledge. He then sexually assaulted them.
The case caused a stir in advance because Masterson is a member of Scientology. The organization allegedly tried to cover up the case. The two female victims also belong to the community and high-ranking members wanted to stop them from reporting the crime. Now Scientology is also facing a civil lawsuit in this case.
Danny Masterson now faces 30 years to life in prison. His lawyers tried to reduce the sentence to 15 years. The conviction is currently only the second to be carried out in the wake of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood. Film producer Harvey Weinstein was previously sentenced to 23 years in prison for sexual abuse.