Leah Remini, an outspoken former member of the Church of Scientology, is pleased with the 30-year-to-life prison sentence Danny Masterson received Thursday.
After the “That ’70s Show” star and devout Scientologist was ordered to spend the next three decades behind bars for two rapes he committed in 2003, Remini took to Twitter to express her relief and gratitude — while putting Masterson’s alleged accomplices on blast.
“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,” the actress — who was “sitting in court today with the women who survived Danny Masterson’s predation” — shared in a lengthy statement.
“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,” Remini went on.
“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.”
The “King of Queens” star, 53, believes Masterson was able to avoid “accountability for his crimes” for so long because of “Scientology, its operatives, and its criminal leader, David Miscavige.”
She alleged that the organization “managed to cover up Danny’s crimes with the help of its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, top ‘church’ officials like Kirsten Caetano Pedersen and Julian Swartz, its network of media-hungry unethical attorneys, private investigators, agents, and civilian Scientologists,” claiming they worked together to conceal the disgraced actor’s “crimes of sexual violence.”
Remini, who was brought into Scientology as an 8-year-old after her mother converted, left the organization in 2013 and has since dedicated her life to exposing its alleged abuses.
She went on to “remind the public that in Scientology if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a high crime,” which allegedly results in “devastating” consequences.
“You will lose everything you’ve ever known, from your family to your friends to your job,” she claimed as she praised Masterson’s survivors for fighting “tirelessly for justice.”
“Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible,” Remini added. “For that, we will forever be grateful.”
She concluded her message by thanking “the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney’s office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury” for their “fair and impartial approach to this case and trial.”
When contacted for comment on Remini’s allegations, reps for the Church of Scientology gave Pvnew the same statement they issued after Masterson’s conviction in May.
“The prosecution’s introduction of religion into this trial was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American,” the statement read. “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.”
The statement continued, “The District Attorney unconscionably centered his prosecution on the defendant’s religion and fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry. The DA elicited testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs and practices which were uniformly FALSE.”
The organization claimed that it has “no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement.” In fact, the organization allegedly has a policy in place that “explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land.”
The statement concluded, “There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked.”
Masterson, who was seen for the first time in jail garb at Thursday’s hearing, received the maximum possible sentence.
The married father of one, 47, was found guilty on two of three counts of rape during his retrial, as the jury could not reach an agreement on the third count.
One woman claimed Masterson raped her in the winter of 2001 when she was 23, another one claimed he raped her in April 2003 when she was 28 and a third claimed he raped her around the fall and winter of 2003 when she was 23.
One of the women was an ex-girlfriend, and all accusers were members of the Church of Scientology.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
