Jury Heard That Danny Masterson, Star of "That 70s Show", Raped Women and Was Protected By The Church of Scientology

A jury was told that former "70s Show" actor, Danny Masterson, drugged and assaulted women in his Los Angeles home while receiving protection from the Church of Scientology.

After attorneys finish their closing arguments on Wednesday, jurors in the actor's retrial for rape will begin deliberations.

The rape trial against Masterson that began late last year in Los Angeles was declared a mistrial when the jury could not agree on a judgement.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday that Masterson drugged and assaulted the women between 2001 and 2003, using his prominence inside the Church of Scientology.

“You don’t want to have sex? You don’t have a choice,” Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury of seven men and five women.

“The defendant makes that choice for these victims. And he does it over and over and over again.”

Masterson, who is 47 years old, has denied raping three women.

During his final statements on Tuesday, his attorney, Philip Cohen, said that there was more than enough reasonable doubt to acquit Masterson since the women's stories from years ago were so full of discrepancies.

Since the investigation that resulted in Masterson's arrest occurred 15 years after the alleged rapes, Mr Cohen emphasised the lack of any physical evidence of drugging.

"Miss Anson presented a case as if she was arguing a drugging case," Mr Cohen said. “Maybe it’s because there is no evidence of force or violence.”

As the jury deliberates, Ms Anson's colleague, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller, will wrap up the prosecution's rebuttal, which he began late on Tuesday.

Throughout the proceedings, Scientology was a major factor. Masterson currently belongs, while the three ladies are all ex-members.

The institution, the prosecution claims, shielded him and persuaded the victims they had not been raped, so they did not report a fellow Scientologist in good standing to the authorities. The church strongly denied having such a rule.

“Why have we heard so much about Scientology?” In his conclusion, Mr Cohen stated. “Could it be because there are problems with the government’s case?”

If found guilty on all three counts, Masterson faces a possible sentence of more than 40 years in jail.