Danny Masterson and Bijou Phillips slammed by IRS for allegedly owing 6-figure tax debt amid divorce
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Danny Masterson continues to find himself in legal trouble as he and his estranged wife Bijou Phillips are accused of owing a six-figure tax debt.
According to RadarOnline, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a lien against the embattled couple for a total of $128,000 in unpaid taxes related to their filings for 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Masterson owes $71,195 for 2019; $52,623 for 2020 and $5,164 for 2021, as per the tax lien.
How many years will Danny Masterson spend in prison for the rape conviction?
The alleged tax issue came to light in February 2023 after it was issued from the IRS' field office in Hartford, Connecticut, shortly after Masterson's first trial in the rape case.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the disgraced actor to serve 30 years in prison for raping two women.
In June 2020, he was initially charged with three counts of rape.
Why did Bijou Phillip file for divorce from Danny Masterson?
Days after the 'That 70's Show' star was incarcerated, Phillips filed for divorce in Santa Barbara Superior Court, ending their 11-year-marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences."
She also requested custody of their nine-year-old daughter, Fiana, spousal support and petitioned to have her last name reinstated from 'Masterson' to 'Phillips.'
View this post on Instagram
Danny Masterson was 'expelled' from Church of Scientology
Allegedly declaring the actor as a "suppressive person" for failing to maintain a high ethical standard, the Church of Scientology expelled Masterson.
This move by the church would mean that his family and his former wife Phillips will also be cut off by other Scientologists.
Speaking to Daily Mail, former member Jeffrey Augustine said, "They are not going to make a public announcement."
"They are telling Scientologists that he will file an appeal and that he is innocent of the charges for which he was convicted," he added.
Augustin further explained the situation saying, "They questioned why Danny Masterson was allowed to be a Scientologist in good standing when he’s brought such a horrible public relations situation onto the church with his felony rape convictions."
On October 21, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of Masterson's accusers who was part of the protest outside the courthouse in Los Angeles along with another victim stated that Scientologists should have cut him off from the church when she first reported him to them.
David Miscavige, the church's leader decided to "clear the decks" as the church still reportedly claims that the actor is innocent of all charges and that he will appeal his 30-year jail term.
The church's decision to expel him was a move ahead of an International Association of Scientologists that is set to be conducted in London.