It has taken three years but Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced yesterday that she was moving forward with criminal charges against That 70’s Show actor, Danny Masterson, for the rape of three women in separate incidents at his home that allegedly took place between 2001 and 2003.
The exact charges are three counts of rape by force or fear. Masterson was arrested yesterday but released a little after 3:30 PM PST after posting bail in the amount of $3.3 million. Masterson’s attorney Tom Mesereau released the following statement about the charges leveled against Masterson:
“Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year-old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.”
Masterson is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001. The second incident allegedly took place in April of 2003 when he raped a 28-year-old woman and the third alleged rape took place sometime between October and December of that same year with another 23-year-old woman who claims the act took place at his Hollywood Hills Home. If Masterson is convicted on all charges, he could serve up to 45 years in prison.
The rape allegations have followed Masterson for the last few years and they gained more media attention when the #MeToo movement began calling out men in the entertainment industry for unsavory acts. The allegations were enough to get Masterson fired from the Netflix comedy series The Ranch, in which he co-starred with his That 70’s Show castmate, Ashton Kutcher, back in December of 2017. Masterson is set to be arraigned on September 18.
