Two more women have reportedly come forward to accuse Scientologist actor Danny Masterson of rape.
The Underground Bunker, a blog run by former Village Voice editor-in-chief Tony Ortega, broke the news Monday morning that the unidentified women have spoken to the Los Angeles Police Department about new allegations against the former star of “The Ranch” and “That 70s Show.”
The Underground Bunker post does not indicate the source of the information about the new accusers, and does not say whether the two women are expected to join a civil lawsuit filed by four earlier accusers in August, accusing Masterson of sexual assault and Scientology church leaders or orchestrating a campaign to silence his alleged victims.
As the Los Angeles Times notes, Masterson dismissed the lawsuit this summer as “ridiculous” and has maintained his innocence.
According to Monday’s report in the Underground Bunker, the two new accusers have no ties to the Church of Scientology; nor does one of the four women who brought the lawsuit against Masterson this summer. One of the plaintiffs, Masterson’s ex-girlfriend Chrissie Carnell Bixler, has accused Masterson of anally raping her while she was unconscious, and reportedly said that she joined the Church of Scientology under pressure from Masterson.
From the Underground Bunker post:
Masterson and his attorneys have attempted to characterize the investigation as a plot engineered by critics of the Church of Scientology, but now the number of women accusing him are split evenly between those with and without involvement in the church.Meanwhile, all six women have similar stories that share details like losing consciousness, violent rape, and with facilitation from Masterson’s friends and employees.
We’ve known for two years that prosecutors in the DA’s office are anxious to charge Masterson. In February 2018 we reported that the managers in the office had signed off on charging the actor under California’s “one-strike law” for sexual crimes which carries a penalty of life in prison. But more than a year later, DA Lacey has not acted.
Masterson has not been charged with any crimes in relation to the sexual assault allegations.
This is a developing story and all information is preliminary. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
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[Feature image: Danny Masterson; AP Photo/Matt Sayles]
