Leah Remini ‘relieved’ that ‘dangerous rapist’ Danny Masterson is ‘off the streets’
Leah Remini, an outspoken former member of the Church of Scientology, is happy with the 30-year prison sentence Danny Masterson received on 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 relief and gratitude — while blasting Masterson’s alleged accomplices.
“I am relieved that this dangerous rapist is off the streets and unable to violently a*sault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status.” , said the actress – who was “sitting in court today with the women who survived the predation of Danny Masterson” – 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 Scientologists who terrorized them for two decades stood just feet away demonstrated a level of courage that leaves me in awe,” Remini continued.
“These women not only faced rape hell, with their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they also faced ruthless criminal hara*sment from Scientology and of its agents since they came to the attention of law enforcement. »
The 53-year-old ‘King of Queens’ star believes Masterson was able to avoid ‘having to answer for his crimes’ for so long thanks to ‘Scientology, its agents and its criminal boss, David Miscavige’.
She alleged that the organization “succeeded in covering up Danny’s crimes with the help of his intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, senior Church officials like Kirsten Caetano Pedersen and Julian Swartz, his network unethical, media-hungry lawyers, private investigators. , agents and civilian Scientologists,” claiming they worked together to cover up the disgraced actor’s “crimes of s****l violence.”
Remini, who joined Scientology aged 8 after her mother’s conversion, left the organization in 2013 and has since dedicated her life to speaking out against alleged abuse.
She went on to “remind the public that in Scientology, if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a serious crime”, which would have “devastating” consequences.
“You will lose everything you’ve ever known, from your family to your friends to your job,” she said, praising Masterson survivors for their “relentless fight for justice.”
“Their tenacity, strength and courage have given all victims of Scientology hope that justice is possible,” Remini added. “For that, we will be eternally grateful to you. »
She concluded her message by thanking “the LAPD detectives, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury” for their “fair and unbiased approach to this case and this trial.”
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When contacted to comment on Remini’s allegations, Church of Scientology representatives gave Page Six the same statement they published after Masterson’s May sentencing.
“The prosecution’s introduction of religion into this trial constitutes an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American,” the statement said. “The Church was not a party to this case and religion had no place in this proceeding, as the Supreme Court has maintained for centuries. »
The statement continues: “The district attorney impermissibly focused his prosecution on the religion and religion of the defendant. fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry. The DA collected testimonials and descriptions of Scientology beliefs and practices that were uniformly FALSE.
The organization a*serted that it had “no policy prohibiting or discouraging its members from reporting the criminal conduct of anyone – Scientologist or not – to law enforcement.” In fact, the organization reportedly has a policy in place that “explicitly requires Scientologists to abide by all laws of the land.”
The statement concluded: “There is not a shred of evidence to support the outrageous allegations that the Church hara*sed the accusers. Every case of alleged hara*sment by the Church is FALSE and has been debunked.
Masterson, who was first seen in jail during Thursday’s hearing, was given the maximum possible sentence.
The 47-year-old married father-of-one was found guilty of two of three counts of rape at his retrial after 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 claimed he raped her in April 2003 when she was 28, and a third claimed he raped her in the fall and winter of 2003, when she was 23.
One of the women was an ex-girlfriend and all of the 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.
