According to Deputy D.A. Reinhold Mueller of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, actor Danny Masterson was sentenced on Thursday to 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty on two charges of rape earlier this year in a Los Angeles courtroom.
According to Mueller, Masterson was given the “aggregate” maximum punishment for the offences.
The 47-year-old “That ’70s Show” star was arrested after being found guilty on two of three counts of rape in late May. In regards to the third count, the jury was tied.
Masterson had entered a not guilty plea to raping three women at his house in separate events between 2001 and 2003 after his original arrest in 2020.
The second trial in the case, which started on April 24 and ended on May 17, resulted in the sentence that was given on Thursday. Defense attorneys Shawn Holley and Philip Cohen defended Masterson. The case was pursued by Deputy District Attorneys Ariel Anson and Mueller.
Holley informed the media Thursday that they intended to appeal his rape convictions.
Reading from a statement, Holley stated, “We are very unhappy in the punishment the judge handed down today. “Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted, and we and the appellate lawyers, who are the best and brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions will be overturned.”
The first trial started in October 2022, and the jurors couldn’t agree, so a mistrial was declared the following month, the district attorney told CNN at the time.
In a statement to CNN on Thursday after the sentencing, Alison Anderson, the attorney for two of the three accusers, said that her clients “have displayed tremendous strength and bravery, by coming forward to law enforcement and directly participating in two grueling criminal trials.”
“I salute their bravery for engaging in this process and speaking out. In a statement to CNN, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón expressed his hope that both the sentence and their fortitude will ultimately bring them peace. “Making sure Los Angeles won’t be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women is one of my top priorities,” she said.
The eight-season Fox television series “That ’70s Show,” which also starred Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Topher Grace, and Wilmer Valderrama, is where Masterson is most known for his performance as Steven Hyde.
Beginning in 2016, Kutcher and Masterson also starred in “The Ranch” on Netflix, however due to the rape claims, Netflix and the producers cut Masterson from the project. In a statement to CNN at the time, Masterson stated that he was “obviously very disappointed” by the choice.
The claims first surfaced in March 2017, when journalist and former Village Voice editor Tony Ortega reported on his website “The Underground Bunker” that the Los Angeles Police Department was looking into Masterson.
This report originally said that Masterson was found guilty in June. On May 31, he was found guilty.