Danny Masterson’s 30-year prison sentence follows several years of legal proceedings after his victims saw their cases frustrating languish in the court system, allegedly due to pressure from Scientology. Two decades later, Masterson is actually in prison — and will be for three more decades — after being convicted in May of two 2003 forcible rapes at his Hollywood home.
At the close of the sentencing hearing, the Judge Charlaine Olmedo told Masterson, “You are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice.” Ex-second-generation Scientologist Leah Remini was in the court room, several years after she interviewed Masterson’s victims. Remini has long since vowed to never stop fighting against Scientology, and on Twitter, she reflected on Masterson’s sentence while going off on the L. Ron Hubbard-founded organization:
“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.
“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.
“These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement.”
That’s less than half of Remini’s full statement, which you can read below.
My statement on the sentencing of Scientologist Danny Masterson:
“Sitting in court today with the women who survived Danny Masterson’s predation was a surreal experience. Over the past seven decades, former Scientologists have sadly become used to Scientology using its…
— Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) September 7, 2023
The King of Queens star also asserted that this verdict and sentencing are “indictments” against the “criminal leader” of Scientology, David Miscavige, as well as the organization itself. In early August, Remini sued Scientology (and Miscavige) for the harassment, defamation, and emotional distress that she claims to have endured since the very day she left the organization a decade ago and was labeled as a “Suppressive Person.” Via Entertainment Weekly, here’s language from the suit:
“Defendants’ course of conduct includes, but is not limited to, following, surveilling, and stalking Plaintiff, sending Scientology operatives to break into Ms. Remini’s gated community, stealing her personal residential mail, vandalizing her mailbox, planting and/or attempting to plant spyware in close proximity to her home, sending harassing correspondence to Plaintiff and to others, including business associates and sponsors regarding Plaintiff, and creating a social media smear campaign against Plaintiff that includes false and malicious accusations made against Ms. Remini, and at times, her family.”
The lawsuit could bring groundbreaking results, long after South Park blew the doors off the OT-Level III “Xenu” fable. Additionally, Alex Gibney’s Going Clear documentary exposed the inner workings of the organization and laid out its many alleged human rights violations for the masses.
As for Masterson, he seemingly hasn’t ever wavered from Scientology, which strenuously backed him throughout his trial, but he’ll have to fashion his own E-meter to use for the next three decades. After all, he won’t be hitting the Celebrity Centre until he’s at least 77 years old.