Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison for Rape

Actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role as Steven Hyde on the sitcom That '70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women at his home in the early 2000s. He was convicted on two counts of forcible rape in June 2021, after a retrial that lasted for six weeks and featured testimonies from the victims and other witnesses.

Masterson, who is a member of the Church of Scientology, has maintained his innocence and claimed that the accusations were motivated by anti-Scientology bias. His lawyer, Tom Mesereau, said that he was confident that the conviction would be overturned on appeal and that the jury got it "wrong He also argued that there was insufficient evidence and that the prosecution relied on “emotions and assumptions” rather than facts

The victims, who are also former Scientologists, said that they were pressured by the church to remain silent and not report the rapes to the police. They also said that they faced harassment and intimidation from the church and Masterson’s supporters after they came forward. One of the victims, who was Masterson’s ex-girlfriend, said that he raped her while she was unconscious in 2001. The other victim said that he raped her at gunpoint in 2003.

The judge who sentenced Masterson told him that he was “not the victim” and that his actions "took away another person’s choice and voice. He also said that he showed “no remorse” and “no empathy” for his victims. Masterson will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years of his sentence. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.