‘That ’70s Show’ Actor Danny Masterson Gets 30 Years For Rapes Of 2 Women

Published

1 year ago

2023-09-07

(LOS ANGELES) – Danny Masterson, the star of “That ’70s Show,” was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women, providing them some solace after they talked in court about the decades of devastation he wrought.

“When you raped me, you stole from me,” said one of the victims of Masterson’s rape in 2003. “That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.”

“You’re pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent,” she declared. “The world is better off with you in prison.”

After hearing the women’s allegations and defense attorneys’ pleas for fairness, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentenced the 47-year-old Danny.

The actor, who has been detained since May, dressed formally in court. Masterson stood there silently, watching the women as they spoke. He maintains his innocence, and his lawyers intend to file an appeal.

The other woman Danny raped stated he “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.” “I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with,” she told the judge. I’m deeply sad and upset. I wish I had reported him to the police sooner.”

Prosecutors retried Masterson on all three counts earlier this year after an initial jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape in December, resulting in a mistrial.

Masterson waived his opportunity to speak before being sentenced, and neither he nor the many family members sitting beside him showed any outward reaction to the judge’s decision. Earlier in the hearing, his wife, actress Bijou Phillips, was visibly moved.

Danny Masterson, the star of “That ’70s Show,” was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women.

On May 31, Masterson was found guilty of two of three rape counts in his second trial. Both attacks occurred in Masterson’s Hollywood-area home in 2003, at the height of his stardom from the Fox network series “That ’70s Show.”

They could not decide on the third accusation, which said that Danny had raped a longtime lover.

The actor was sentenced after the judge denied the defense’s plea for a fresh trial, which was debated earlier Thursday. The penalty was the utmost permissible by law. Danny will be eligible for parole after serving 25 1/2 years but could be imprisoned for life.

“I know you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimised by a justice system that has failed you,” Olmedo said before delivering the sentence to Masterson. “However, Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim in this case. Your actions 20 years ago robbed another individual of their voice and choice. You will have to confront your previous choices and their repercussions in some way.”

The defense requested that the terms for the two convictions run concurrently and requested a sentence of 15 years to life. The prosecution sought the maximum punishment of 30 years to life for Masterson.

“What you decide today will have an impact on his life,” Masterson’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, told the judge before the sentencing. “And the life of his 9-year-old daughter, who means the world to him, and to whom he means the world.”

Danny Masterson, the star of “That ’70s Show,” was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women.

Holley stated following the hearing that “Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he was convicted.” She stated that an appellate team has uncovered “several significant evidentiary and constitutional issues” with his convictions, which she believes will be reversed.

Prosecutors claimed that Masterson exploited his position in the Church of Scientology, of which all three women were members at the time, to evade punishment for decades after the attacks, and the ladies blamed the church for their reluctance to report Masterson to police.

At the sentencing hearing, one of the women, born into a religion like Masterson, said she was rejected and ostracised for reporting the abuse in 2004.

“I had lost everything.” I had lost my faith. “I lost contact with anyone I’d known or loved my entire life,” she explained. “I didn’t exist outside of Scientology.” At the age of 29, I had to restart my life. The world I knew didn’t seem to want me to survive.”

In a statement issued during the trial, the church stated that it has “no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement.” It has also stated that it has never harassed any of the ladies.

The woman’s 2004 police report resulted in no charges, but she went to authorities when she learned they were investigating Masterson again in 2016. The other two ladies had reported him to church officials for over 15 years.

The ladies testified at both trials that they were at Masterson’s house in 2003 when he drugged them before raping them.

Danny Masterson, the star of “That ’70s Show,” was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women.

They said on Thursday that the trauma had harmed their relationships and filled their lives with anxiety for decades. They did, however, express relief at his sentencing.

“I don’t have to carry your shame around with me anymore,” stated the first woman to speak up. “You must now bear that shame.” You must sit in a cell and keep it.”

From 1998 through 2006, Masterson co-starred in “That ’70s Show” with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace.

He reconnected with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy “The Ranch,” but was fired after the Los Angeles Police Department probe was publicized the following year.

While the investigation began before a wave of women rattled Hollywood with revelations about Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, the prosecution and sentencing of Masterson and Weinstein’s conviction last year represented a landmark #MeToo era win for Los Angeles prosecutors.

SOURCE – (AP)

News

Pam Bondi Is Appointed US Attorney General Following Gaetz’s Resignation.

Published

6 hours ago

2024-11-22

Salman Ahmad

Photo via Reuters

(VOR News) – President-elect Donald Trump selected Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General and ally, to succeed Matt Gaetz on Thursday after the latter withdrew from consideration.

Gaetz’s drug use and sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old girl were the subject of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. He denies any wrongdoing.

During Trump’s first administration, Pam Bondi, 59, served on the Opioids and Drug Abuse Commission. He served as police chief of the third-most populous state from 2011 to 2019.

She was also a member of Trump’s defense team at his first impeachment hearing, where he was charged with use military assistance to get Ukraine to look into the wrongdoing of his opponent, now President Joe Biden. The Senate cleared Trump on all charges.

The right-wing America First Policy Institute, which has collaborated with Trump’s campaign to create government concepts, most recently had Pam Bondi as its leader of the legal branch.

Unlike Pam Bondi, Gaetz lacks the experience necessary to serve as attorney general and is likely to encounter resistance from Senate Democrats and some Republicans.

According to Jones Walker defense attorney David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Florida, “She is unequivocally qualified for the position on paper.” Throughout her life, she battled in court. She stood out from the previous nominee because to her resume.

In a tweet announcing his intention to nominate Bondi, Trump praised her skills as a prosecutor and her firm stance against crime as Florida’s first female attorney general. Trump said that even though Bondi was elected on November 5th, while numerous state and federal criminal investigations were underway, he pledged to keep federal prosecutions from being politicized.

According to Trump, “The biased Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans for an excessive duration.” Not true anymore.

Discussion about Pam Bondi and Trump’s history before 2016.

In 2013, the Trump Foundation may have broken federal law by giving $25,000 to a political action committee that supported Pam Bondi. Bondi thought about looking into the for-profit Trump University.

Pam Bondi disputed that her decision to end her legal actions against Trump University following the 2016 disclosure of Trump’s $25,000 gift had anything to do with her decision to withdraw from those actions. According to her, all pertinent material was made public by her office.

The erroneous money disclosure was attributed by the Trump team to a “series of unfortunate coincidences and errors.” New York state fraud investigations resulted in the dissolution of both Trump University and the Trump Foundation.

After misleading Trump University students, he settled for $25 million and was fined $2 million for misusing charitable funds.

Following Special Counsel Jack Smith’s acquisition of two indictments against him for his interference in the 2020 election and his possession of secret materials after leaving office, Trump has voiced his displeasure with the present leadership of the Justice Department and pledged retaliation.

AFPI’s Pam Bondi remains loyal to Trump.

She and a number of other lawyers claimed that Smith’s appointment was illegal in an amicus brief they prepared in support of Trump in the secret information litigation. The Justice Department filed an appeal after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, rejected the case.

According to a long-standing rule against charging a sitting president, Smith and other top Justice Department officials are examining how both of the Trump criminal cases were resolved.

During his first administration, Trump was incensed with the Justice Department’s obstructionism. Bill Barr specifically refuted Trump’s baseless claims that he lost the 2020 election due to fraud, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions permitted an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Trump’s overarching objectives for the Justice Department have been delineated through his public remarks, interviews with former department lawyers, and Mark Paoletta, a conservative lawyer who develops the department’s policy.

Federal prosecutors may give illegal immigration cases priority.

To obtain a portion of the department’s $291 million justice assistance award, cities might have to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

It is probable that the Civil Rights Division will refocus its attention from legal challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the public and commercial sectors to police accountability to religious freedom.

SOURCE: EAT

Politics

Trudeau GST Tax Holiday to Cost Taxpayers $6.3 Billion

Published

10 hours ago

2024-11-22

Geoff Brown

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a two-month GST break on some purchases and a one-time $250 rebate for all Canadians earning less than $150,000. The proposed GST break would last from December 14 to February 15.

The Liberals said it would cover various things, including children’s clothing and shoes, toys, diapers, restaurant meals, and beer and wine. It also refers to real and artificial Christmas trees, snack foods and beverages, and video game systems.

The move will cost taxpayers almost $4.7 billion, and the GST exemption will cost an additional $1.6 billion, totaling $6.3 Billion.

The federal government is now running a significant deficit. This raises the question of who will have to foot the $6.3 billion bill for today’s one-time payments. The government will have to borrow the money, and future taxpayers must either repay it or service the additional debt perpetually.

Critics argue that the GST credit is a collection of terrible ideas that will do little to lift Canada out of the long-term economic rut in which our economy is stuck.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre responded Thursday to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pledge of a “GST Holiday” for Canadians, calling it a “tax trick.”

Poilievre stated that the temporary exemption from the Goods and Services Tax on various ordinary commodities “would not make up for the permanent quadrupling carbon tax on heat, housing, food, and fuel.”

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet stated he is “against any idea of a prime minister who says, ‘I will give you money in order for you to consider voting for me.'”

According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, temporary sales tax holidays will only increase confusion and administrative burden for small business owners.

A temporary sales tax decrease would help boost demand in some industries, including restaurants, Canadians, and companies, which require sustainable tax relief during the slow post-holiday season.

The changes amid an inflation-driven affordability crisis have left many dissatisfied with the Trudeau government. A federal election is scheduled for before next October, although it might happen sooner if the minority government falls before then.

For months, the Conservatives have held a double-digit lead over the Liberals in public opinion polls, with Leader Pierre Poilievre promising to cut taxes and government spending to restore affordability.

High inflation has also pressured the Liberals to avoid proposing policies that would boost spending and raise fuel prices.

According to the Fraser Institute, The Trudeau government got one thing fundamentally right: Lowering the tax burden on Canadians has benefits. Unfortunately, the policy package it has proposed to deliver tax relief is completely wrong.

It lowers the incorrect taxes, moves taxes temporarily rather than lowering them, does little to improve economic incentives, and punishes future taxpayers. With the holiday season approaching, this attempt at a gift for Canadian taxpayers is the economic equivalent of a lump of coal in the stocking.

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Business

Forced Sale Google Chrome Could Fetch $20 Billion

Published

11 hours ago

2024-11-21

Geoff Brown

Antitrust officials in the US could force the sale of Google’s Chrome browser for up to $20 billion, demonstrating the tremendous worth of the world’s most popular web browser.

Bloomberg Intelligence attributes Chrome’s projected worth to its more than 3 billion monthly active users. The US Department of Justice is preparing to request a federal judge order the browser’s separation from Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Chrome’s worth comes from its overwhelming 61% market share and its crucial role in Google’s advertising ecosystem. User data enables businesses to better target adverts, and the browser also acts as an important distribution mechanism for Google’s AI technologies.

Industry analysts think it may be difficult to find a suitable buyer. While tech behemoths like Amazon could finance the purchase, they would likely face regulatory scrutiny.

AI businesses, such as OpenAI, may emerge as more viable contenders. They could potentially leverage Chrome to broaden their reach and develop an advertising business.

“It’s not directly monetizable,” one analyst told Bloomberg. “It functions as a gateway to other things. It’s unclear how you would assess that in terms of pure revenue generation.”

Google opposes prospective sales, claiming that they will hamper innovation. The firm does not break out Chrome’s revenue individually in its financial filings, even though the browser’s user data plays an important part in the company’s principal revenue stream, advertising.

The DOJ’s suggestion follows Judge Amit Mehta’s August decision that Google had illegally monopolized the search industry. The judge will consider the recommended remedies at a two-week hearing in April 2024, with a final judgment due in August 2025.