'That '70s Show' alum Danny Masterson charged with 3 counts of rape
"That '70s Show" alum Danny Masterson has been charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Wednesday.
The charges stem from three separate incidents involving three different women from 2001 to 2003.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller of the sex crimes division, who will prosecute Masterson, said all of the alleged crimes occurred at the actor's Hollywood Hills home.
Masterson has denied the allegations.
"Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify," his attorney, Tom Mesereau, told ABC News in a statement. "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, 44, is due to be arraigned Sept. 18. If convicted on all three counts, he could face up to 45 years to life in prison.
The district attorney's office added that they declined to file sexual assault charges against the actor in two other cases due to insufficient evidence and an issue with the statute of limitations.
In 2017, the Huffington Post reported that Masterson had been accused of sexual assault by four women, and an investigation into the alleged crimes had stalled. Masterson denied allegations of sexual misconduct at that time.
Last August, four women sued Masterson and the Church of Scientology, claiming they were harassed after they reported their claims against Masterson to the Los Angeles Police Department. William Forman, an attorney for the Church of Scientology International, denied the allegations, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Masterson's attorney, Andrew Brettler, called for the suit to be dismissed, slamming it as a "shameful money grab."
