Current:Home > ScamsLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -TradeWisdom
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-17 20:00:26
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! (3)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- A rocky past haunts the mysterious company behind the Lensa AI photo app
- A tiny invasive flying beetle that's killed hundreds of millions of trees lands in Colorado
- Migrant crossings along U.S.-Mexico border plummeted in June amid stricter asylum rules
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- A Watershed Moment: How Boston’s Charles River Went From Polluted to Pristine
- Kate Spade's Massive Extra 40% Off Sale Has a $248 Tote Bag for $82 & More Amazing Deals
- Maps show flooding in Vermont, across the Northeast — and where floods are forecast to continue
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- 3 events that will determine the fate of cryptocurrencies
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Breathing Polluted Air Shortens People’s Lives by an Average of 3 Years, a New Study Finds
- Big Rigged (Classic)
- Amazon ends its charity donation program AmazonSmile after other cost-cutting efforts
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- A Delta in Distress
- Tom Brady Shares His and Ex Gisele Bundchen's Parenting Game Plan
- Google is cutting 12,000 jobs, adding to a series of Big Tech layoffs in January
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
What tracking one Walmart store's prices for years taught us about the economy
5 takeaways from the massive layoffs hitting Big Tech right now
The tax deadline is Tuesday. So far, refunds are 10% smaller than last year
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
See map of which countries are NATO members — and learn how countries can join
Ex-staffer sues Fox News and former Trump aide over sexual abuse claims
Cuomo’s New Climate Change Plan is Ambitious but Short on Money