The sentencing follows the That ’70s Show actor’s retrial conviction in May of two counts of rape by force or fear. In a statement at the time, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón praised the women who had come forward to detail separate incidents from 2003.
“We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences,” Gascón said in May. “Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all. While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision. The verdicts handed down by the jury in this case were undoubtedly a difficult one to reach and we thank the jurors for their service.”
Upon his conviction in May, Masterson—facing the possibility of as much as 30 years behind bars—was placed in custody. He had initially been expected to be sentenced in August but the date was ultimately pushed back.
In September 2020, following Masterson’s first court appearance, attorney Tom Mesereau slammed the allegations against his client as being “politicized’ in nature.
“[Masterson] is absolutely not guilty and we’re going to prove it,” Mesereau said at the time. The actor later formally entered a not guilty plea.
