In March, several outlets reported that the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating That ’70s Show actor and longtime Scientologist Danny Masterson for rape. The three women who had made rape claims against Masterson were all reportedly fellow Scientologists who said they’d been pressured by the Church not to report the incidents, which all allegedly occurred in the early 2000s.
On Thursday, the Huffington Post reported that a total of four woman have now accused Masterson of rape (he continues to deny all accusations). But even as the case against Masterson apparently builds, its legal progression is reportedly moving at a snail’s pace:
In April 2017, police referred the case to the district attorney. Since then, the district attorney’s office has examined the evidence turned over by LAPD and conducted its own investigation. Despite compelling ― what one law enforcement source described as “overwhelming” — evidence, the charges have not been approved for filing. The evidence includes audiotapes, emails sent to and from Scientology officers at the time the alleged rapes happened, forensic computer evidence and a threatening handwritten letter Masterson sent to one of the alleged victims, according to two people with knowledge of the evidence in the district attorney’s possession.
[Huffpo]