The Church of Scientology has been accused of trying to “derail” actor Danny Masterson’s rape trials, according to legal documents filed in December 2023 and obtained by TheWrap. He was convicted in those trials for raping two women in 2001 and 2003 whom he had met through the church.
Masterson’s rape victims filed legal documents in December 2023, obtained by TheWrap, claiming the church launched a “campaign of harassment and intimidation directed at one of the prosecutors assigned to Defendant Masterson’s trial” in an effort to “derail Masterson’s criminal trial” as well as his second criminal trial.
The prosecutor’s name wasn’t revealed in the document, though the charges do match similar ones discussed in a speech by L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller last year, according to the Los Angeles Times, which also reports that a spokesperson for the church has denied the claims.
“Defendants attempted to derail the second criminal trial of Defendant Masterson by filing baseless accusations against the detectives and the prosecutors in the Masterson case and timed those accusations in a manner designed to interfere with the retrial of Masterson,” the document reads, citing court findings.
The filing, submitted by civil attorney Simon Leen, continued by breaking down the list of alleged attacks against the prosecutor. “That prosecutor’s home and car windows were broken, the prosecutor’s home electronics were tampered with, and Defendants’ agents surveilled the prosecutor,” the document reads.
Masterson, the Church of Scientology International, Religious Technology Center, the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International, David Miscavige and a group of people labeled as Does 1-25 were named as defendants. The plaintiffs included Chrissie Carnell Bixler, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Marie Bobette Riales, Jane Does #1-2 and Tricia Vessey.
The 372-page document also accused Scientology of having a “criminal enterprise” of “money-making schemes” that are criminal in nature, claiming it “systematically engages in fraud, human trafficking, identify theft, and money
laundering to fill its coffers and enrich its leadership” and “recruits celebrities to serve as its public ambassadors,” naming Masterson as one of those representatives.
“During Masterson’s long association with Scientology, Scientology’s criminal enterprise used its resources to assist Masterson with his burgeoning acting career and provided him preferential treatment within Scientology,” the declaration reads. “In exchange, Masterson publicly supported Scientology and its criminal enterprise (by, for example, claiming Scientology cures depression).”
The complaint also appears to match allegations made by L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller made in 2023 regarding incidents that took place in 2022 as Masterson’s first trial was approaching, according to the Times. Mueller, who never named the church as being responsible, shared in a speech that his home was vandalized, someone tried to run him off the road while he was driving and his internet and cellular service was strangely disconnected from his home. In addition, detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department said they were stalked and someone took photos of them when they were off-duty.
No criminal charges have resulted from Mueller’s claims, and it appears that no evidence has been provided that would implicate the church.
In response to the claims, Church of Scientology spokesperson Karin Pouw said, “Allegations that the Church harassed or intimidated witnesses, prosecutors, or law enforcement officers are categorically false. There is zero evidence to support these scandalous allegations — indeed, all available evidence demonstrates the Church had nothing to do with the alleged acts.”
In September 2023, Masterson was sentenced to the maximum 30-years-to-life in prison after being convicted, with eligibility for parole after 25-and-a-half years, though he can be held in prison for life. The former “That ’70s Show” star was found guilty of the two charges in May 2023. At the time, the jury could not agree on a third count of rape brought by another Jane Doe, which would have upped his potential sentence to 40 years-to-life.
The news was first reported by the L.A. Times.
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