“That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been charged with raping three women

Trigger warning: This post is about rape.

After initial investigations stalled in 2017, actor Danny Masterson was formally charged with triple rape in three separate cases dating back to the early 2000s. He was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 17. If convicted, he faces up to 45 years to life in prison for his alleged crimes against women, according to a CNN report.

Masterson is accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in April 2003, a 23-year-old woman in 2003, and a 23-year-old woman in 2001. CNN reports that there were two other rape cases in which That 70’s Show actor, but one was dropped after the statute of limitations ran out and the other because there was “insufficient evidence” to proceed with the charges. Masterson allegedly committed all three rapes at his home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, authorities said in the CNN report.

In late 2017, five women came forward to accuse Masterson of rape, and four of those women sued the actor, the Church of Scientology (of which Masterson is a member) and Scientology leader David Miscavige for stalking them following their allegations. According to a report by Tony Ortega of The Village Voice At least three of the women claimed in 2017 that they had been “coerced into silence by the Church of Scientology, of which they were also members.”

After women made allegations of rape and sexual assault and an online petition demanding Masterson’s firing went viral, Netflix fired him from The ranch.

Now the arraignment against the actor is scheduled for September 18.

If you are a victim of sexual assault and need help, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to speak with a trained counselor. You can also chat with a counselor online here. Both services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.