That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson arrested on 3 rape charges
KATHMANDU: American actor Danny Masterson, known for That ’70s Show has been arrested on charges of raping three women in the early 2000s.
According to the Los Angeles prosecutors, the culmination of a three-year investigation resulted in a rare arrest of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era.
The three counts of rape by force or fear against Masterson were filed on June 16 and Masterson, 44, was arrested on June 17, according to AP. He was released a few hours later after posting bond and is scheduled to be arraigned September 18.
Masterson’s attorney Tom Mesereau claimed his client as innocent while prosecutors allege that Masterson raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April of 2003, and a 23-year-old woman he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home between October and December of 2003. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison, according to AP.
Prosecutors declined to file charges in two other cases that police had investigated, one because of insufficient evidence and the other because the statute of limitations had expired, AP further adds.
Masterson has been married to actor and model Bijou Phillips since 2011.