Current:Home > FinanceLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -AssetTrainer
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-16 06:23:35
Leah Remini penned a strong message following Danny Masterson's sentencing for rape.
After the That ‘70s Show alum, who was found guilty of two counts of rape in May, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, the King of Queens star excoriated both Masterson and the Church of Scientology—of which he is a longtime member—while expressing her support for his victims.
"I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status," Remini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sept. 7. "Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of."
Furthermore, Remini, who was raised in the Church of Scientology and has becoming a vocal critic since leaving the organization, thanked the women for speaking up.
"The women who survived Danny's predation fought tirelessly for justice," she added. "Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful. To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney's office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial."
Prosecutors had alleged that Masterson, who was arrested and charged on three counts of forcible rape in 2020, sexually assaulted three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson's first trial in 2022 was declared a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions for the three rape charges.
However, during Masterson's retrial, which took place earlier this year, the jury found him guilty on two counts. The jury was unable to did not reach a verdict on the third court.
The three women—identified as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3—told the court they met Masterson through the Church of Scientology, later accusing the organization of pressuring them into not reporting the allegations to police, according to the Associated Press. The church denied their accusations in a May 31 statement obtained by E! News June 1, noting that the organization "has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement."
Following The Ranch actor's sentencing, his lawyer Shawn Holley maintained that her client was innocent after the sentencing, noting in a statement to multiple outlets that a team of "top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing the transcripts of the trial" and "have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both state and federal appellate courts."
The attorney—who had sought 15 years to life in prison, according to the Los Angeles Times—further indicated plans to appeal the sentencing.
Masterson, Holley added, "did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we—and the appellate lawyers—the best and the brightest in the country—are confident that these convictions will be overturned."
E! News reached out to Masterson's attorneys for comment and has not heard back.
For its part, following Masterson's sentencing, the Church of Scientology released a statement, obtained by NBC News, calling the trial "an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment."
The organization added, "The Church was not a party to this case and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.veryGood! (233)
Related
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Why the price of Coke didn't change for 70 years (classic)
- 'We're shattered' How an American family is mourning a loved one lost to war in Israel
- A treacherous descent? What will the Fed do next?
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Disney ups price of some tickets to enter Disneyland and Walt Disney World
- Grassley pushes Biden administration for information on gun trafficking into Mexico after CBS Reports investigation
- Amazon Influencers Share the Items They Always Subscribe & Save
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- For the People, a comedy set in Minneapolis' Native community, to debut at Guthrie Theater
Ranking
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- NASA shows off its first asteroid samples delivered by a spacecraft
- Sketch released of person of interest in fatal shooting on Vermont trail
- Beef jerky maker employed children who worked on dangerous equipment, federal officials say
- Small twin
- Stock market today: Asian shares rise after eased pressure on bonds pushes Wall Street higher
- Salman Rushdie's new memoir 'Knife' to chronicle stabbing: See release date, more details
- 'The Voice': John Legend nabs 'magical' R&B crooner, irritates Gwen Stefani
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Scene of a 'massacre': Inside Israeli kibbutz decimated by Hamas fighters
Black student suspended over his hairstyle to be sent to an alternative education program
A Georgia deputy shot and killed a man he was chasing after police say the man pulled out a gun
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Former offensive lineman Mark Schlereth scorches Jerry Jeudy, Denver for 1-4 start
Kelly Ripa Breaks Promise to Daughter Lola Consuelos By Calling Her Out On Live
Former Slovak president convicted of tax fraud, receives a fine and suspended sentence