Image Credit: Arlene Richie/Shutterstock
After Danny Masterson‘s 30-year prison sentence for rape, his standing with the Church of Scientology appears to be over. According to an October 24 report, the actor has officially been expelled from the ranks of the Church of Scientology. Per the Daily Mail, Danny was labeled a “suppressive person (SP),” meaning his alleged behavior tends to interfere with the spiritual growth of people near him. According to the outlet, this measure means Scientologists, including his estranged wife Bijou Phillips, who has filed for divorce from him, must cut ties with him completely. DM also claims that per insiders for the outlet, the Church maintains their stance that Danny is innocent of the rape charges leveled against him.
Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison. (LUCY NICHOLSON/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Private Investigator Jeffrey Augustine revealed the alleged action on his site, The Scientology Money Project. Jeffrey is a former Scientologist, and he spoke with the outlet in an interview published on Tuesday. “According to my sources, Danny has been declared a suppressive person, which means he would be expelled from Scientology,” he reportedly told the outlet.
“They are telling Scientologists that he will file an appeal and that he is innocent of the charges for which he was convicted. They (church officials) declared Danny a suppressive person for not maintaining the high ethical standards for the Church of Scientology, and other reasons – but not because he was convicted of rape,” he added.
Danny was sentenced to 3 decades in prison for two counts of rape on September 7, after he was found guilty of the charges back in May. He was accused by three women, though only in two cases was the jury able to reach a verdict on the accusations. Danny received a 15-year to life sentence for each count on which he was found guilty, and he’s serving consecutive sentences equaling 30 years.
His estranged wife, Bijou, filed for divorce two weeks after his sentencing. On October 20, news broke that Danny has agreed to surrender full custody of his nine-year-old daughter, Fianna Francis, to Bijou.
