LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Leah Remini has reportedly accused the Church of Scientology of covering up Danny Masterson's crimes after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison on rape convictions.
The 53-year-old Emmy-winning actress, who left the church in 2013, took to social media on Thursday, September 07 to share a scathing statement, where she called the David Miscavige-led organization “a multibillion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status.”
The ‘King of Queens’ actress said she endured a ‘surreal experience’ when she attended the Los Angeles Superior Court hearing with two of the women who Masterson was convicted of sexually assaulting.
“For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes,” Remini said.
She added, “While Danny was the only one sentenced, his conviction and sentence are indictments against Scientology, its operatives, and its criminal leader, David Miscavige.”
She continued by stating that the church ''engaged in a conspiracy to cover up Masterson's crimes of sexual violence'' with its vast resources and personnel in sectors including media, and law.
“Scientology managed to cover up Danny's crimes with the help of its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, top "church" officials like Kirsten Caetano Pedersen and Julian Swartz, its network of media-hungry unethical attorneys, private investigators, agents, and civilian Scientologists who engaged in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence,” she asserted.
Why was Leah Remini relieved after Danny Masterson’s sentencing?
In her statement, the ‘Second Act’ star blasted Masterson as a 'dangerous rapist', saying “I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology.”
Remini further expressed that she was ''in awe of'' the rape survivors who ''read their victim impact statements aloud in court'' in front of Masterson ''and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades.''
"These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement," she continued.
The actress then went on to explain what she claims are the dynamics in play in the church in sensitive situations as such.
''I will always remind the public that in Scientology if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a high crime,'' Remini said.
''The consequences of such a high crime are devastating: you will lose everything you've ever known, from your family to your friends to your job," she added.
The New York native concluded her statement by applauding detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo for their ''fair and impartial approach to this case and trial.''
Why did Leah Remini sue the Church of Scientology?
This statement came just one month after Remini sued the church and its leader, David Miscavige, for "harassment, surveillance and defamation" for 17 years.
Remini, who the Scientology as a child in 1979, alleged that organizations' "mob-style operations and attacks" had "significantly" impacted both her personal and professional life.
In her lawsuit, Remini also claimed that she had been the target of "intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and -coordinated social media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation.”
Remini has vociferously opposed the church since her departure in 2013. She previously addressed her severance from the institution in her 2015 book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.
The actress also was the host and producer of the Emmy-winning A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019.
What are the accusations against Danny Masterson?
In Thursday's hearing, Judge Olmedo, who sentenced Masterson to 15 years for each felony rape, told him that although he had ''steadfastly claimed his innocence,'' he was ''not the victim here."
''Your actions 20 years ago were criminal and that is why you are here today,'’ the judge continued, according to Daily Mail.
Masterson, who was detained and charged with three charges of forcible rape in 2020, was accused by prosecutors of sexually assaulting three women in different events between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills residence.
His first trial in 2022 was declared a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions for the three rape charges.
However, the jury found Masterson guilty on two counts during his retrial earlier this year. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third count.
The three women, who went under the names Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2, and Jane Doe #3, informed the court that they had met Masterson through the Church of Scientology.
They later claimed that the group had pressured them into not informing the authorities about the claims. However, these claims were later refuted by the Church.
