Scientology took a blow in court today. Long time member Danny Masterson, actor from “That 70s Show,” was convicted on two charges of rape. The jury was deadlocked on a third count.
Masterson faces 30 years to life in prison.
The “church” of Scientology pulled out all their tricks to help but it didn’t work.
Masterson had been accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. The jury convicted him of raping two women in 2003, but could not reach a verdict regarding an allegation from November 2001 involving a former girlfriend.
The verdict is a shock because in a previous trial, which had a hung jury, jurors said they would have voted to acquit Masterson. But this time around, prosecutors were able to make their case more clearly, painting Masterson as untouchable in the Scientology hierarchy vs. the women who accused him, who were members without celebrity standing.
Masterson is married to Bijou Phillips, the troubled daughter of late Mamas and Papas founder John Phillips and Genevieve Waite. He’s seven years her senior. They have one child.
