Danny Masterson found guilty on two counts of rape

Actor Danny Masterson has been found guilty on two charges of rape, The Los Angeles Times reports. Jurors in the That ’70s Show actor’s trial—his second on these charges, after the first ended in a mistrial last year—handed down their verdict earlier this afternoon. Masterson was facing three charges of rape, all related to women he allegedly met during his time with The Church Of Scientology. Jurors found him guilty on two of the counts—those related to women identified as “Jen B.” and “N. Trout.”—but were “hopelessly deadlocked” on the third. (A similar deadlock, on all charges, lead to the mistrial back in 2022.)

The incidents in question occurred in the early 2000s, with the women in question saying that they had waited years to bring allegations forward due to fear of retaliation from the Church. (Which has denied all such wrongdoing—with Masterson’s attorneys also accusing both prosecutors, and the accusers in the case, of being biased against the organization.) All three women described growing woozy and weak after having drinks with Masterson, after which—per the accounts of the two women whose charges the actor was convicted on today—he raped them. (The third woman, “Chrissy B.,” made similar allegations. She was allegedly in a long-term relationship with Masterson when the incident ocurred.)

Masterson didn’t testify in either of his trials, and pleaded not guilty in both of them. Accusations against the actor first came to light in 2017; he was subsequently fired from his role on Netflix sitcom The Ranch, and hasn’t worked as an actor since. (Notably, he was pointedly absent from recent That ’70s Show revival That ’90s Show.) Masterson could face up to 30 years in prison.