Convicted Rapist Danny Masterson and Ex Bijou Phillips Accused of Owing 6-Figure Tax Debt as Divorce Rages On
Convicted rapist Danny Masterson and his estranged wife Bijou Phillips are accused of blowing off a massive 6-figure tax debt, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The Internal Revenue Service slammed the embattled couple with a lien for $128K in unpaid taxes related to their 2019, 2020, and 2021 filings, documents exclusively revealed.
The tax slap was issued from the IRS’ Hartford, Connecticut field office in February 2023 – shortly after a jury deadlocked in Masterson's first rape trial and several months before his new trial began in April.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the disgraced That ‘70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge for raping two of three women that accused him.
Just days after Masterson was hauled off to prison, his wife of 11 years walloped the devout Scientologist with divorce papers in Santa Barbara Superior Court citing “irreconcilable difference.”
The 42-year-old requested spousal support, custody of their daughter, Fiana, 9, and that the court change her last name from “Masterson” back to “Phillips.”
To make matters worse for Masterson, 47, his beloved Church of Scientology allegedly declared him a “suppressive person” – the group’s lingo for persona non grata—because he failed to maintain a high ethical standard, according to a published report.
"They are telling Scientologists that he will file an appeal and that he is innocent of the charges for which he was convicted," former member Jeffrey Augustine told the Daily Mail.
When contacted by RadarOnline.com the church declined to comment on Masterson’s status. Instead, they labeled Augustine – now a staunch Scientology opponent – as a questionable source and “dangerous” to their take-it-or-leave-it beliefs.
It is unclear why Phillips filed for divorce after she faithfully stood by his side during the first and second trial that eventually found him guilty of assaulting two women, including his former girlfriend, inside his swanky Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
Under church rules Phillips and all its members are required to shun any suppressive person.
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But one insider told RadarOnline.com speculated Masterson, who earned a living off a vineyard and acting residuals, probably “burned” through his cash hiring top gun lawyers to stay out of prison.
Masterson was initially charged with three counts of rape in June 2020. The tax lien showed he owes $71,195 for 2019; $52,623 for 2020 and $5,164 for 2021.
A rep for Masterson did not respond to our request for comment.
“They seem to be having some financial troubles,” Augustine, a LA private investigator told RadarOnline.com. “They may be broke and could file for bankruptcy ahead of a pending civil lawsuit filed by the rape victims.”
The victims filed the lawsuit in 2019 and accused the church of allegedly harassing and stalking them after they filed a police report outing Masterson — a top-ranking and high-profile member of the controversial church.