TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We had so much fun recreating Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s nightmare year of 1951 in newspaper clippings, we’re doing the same for another of his ignominious adventures which occurred even earlier! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“When a student fails to get a good result we (I) ask the pc what he did, (2) send the student back to training, (3) send the pc to Review for a Green Form to F/N and No. 40 GF and handle all reading No. 40 GF items, (4) send the student to Review for a GF to F/N and a No. 40 GF and handle all reads and three-way Failed Help, threeway Help brackets, (5) get the student corrected on what we learned he- did wrong from the pc and (6) get the student drilled on TRs 101, 102, 103 and 104. We tolerate no flubbed sessions.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1969
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“Here we have this fellow now and he recognizes this principle and he’s on the destroy end of the curve, you see. He recognizes that a nothingness should exist where that body is. But he doesn’t know why a nothingness should exist — he doesn’t know anything about communication or duplication — he just knows that the best thing to have where that body is, is nothingness. So he goes and blows his brains out. And if the society insists he has too many responsibilities to go blow his brains out, why, then subterfugenously he lowers himself under the wheels of a taxi cab or steps on a third rail or lands himself, and some people haven’t quite nerve enough to make the good clean job of it, so they keep making themselves sick. And that’s psychosomatic illness. That’s all there is to psychosomatic illness, it’s a covert effort on the part of the thetan to make nothing where the body is. But it is an effort which is balked by the society to such a degree that he knows he can’t quite get away with it. So he still goes on with this faint impulse which is just make the body sick, don’t reduce it to zero.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 23, 1954
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“OTL DK has lost several important mail packets from the 24 March run. We find that OTL had just changed Supercargoes. The new one Connie (Campleman) Stevens was logging her first mail. The DK Post Office or the WW post office or Connie has lost several packets. This flap was not reported by Wayne Alkire to Flag and was not given proper attention by Susan Pomeroy. We now, by phone, have the packet numbers still lost and Aides must make them up again for the next courier. This of course calls for a severe reshuffle of lines and personnel. We must be very accurate on mail slips, relays and posting. A fantastice scramble can occur and the work of a lot of executives can be messed up or destroyed. Comm Evs are being convened on S. Pomeroy, W. Alkire, and C. (Campleman) Stevens. Mail routing will be changed.” — The Commodore, April 23, 1970
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“1976. I’m in Scientology. My great aunt dies. I am at the funeral and no one is in the chapel yet. I walk up to the casket and say ‘Get a Scientology body.’ Guess what I discover this morning? She did. She’s been hanging around for quite some time. We now agree she’s done with influencing my life and on to her own future.”
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1996: An article was reposted from alt.showbiz.gossip about investigations into posters critical of celebrity cult members. “Mysterious men have also shown up at certain employers on the west coast and asked questions about people who post here. They’ve also shown up at certain BBS’s. They claim to be ‘private detectives’ but they’re really from the Church of Scientology trying to silence people who post outing messages about Tom Cruise, John Travolta, etc. They only ask for one thing: name, home address, and home phone # for certain people.”
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“What got me here was a lifelong interest in the weird and macabre, combined with a sister who joined the cult in 1980. In 2008 I heard about a video on YouTube that featured Tom Cruise taking about Scientology. I started following the comments by the anons and Scilons, and I realized I really didn’t know as much about Scientology as I thought I did, so I got busy.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing May 17, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, hearing on April 16.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
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After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Scientology issues pics of LRH Birthday event, when David Miscavige was dodging service
[TWO years ago] How Scientology turns you into an unthinking soldier, defending the indefensible
[THREE years ago] We still get asked about Scientology mouthpiece Tommy Davis, so here’s your update!
[FOUR years ago] Philly lawyers suing Danny Masterson don’t want Scientology to have their home addresses
[FIVE years ago] Brad Pitt’s Scientology adventure: The sauna, the auditing, the… lizard?
[SIX years ago] It’s only April, but we already have a leading contender for Scientology mother of the year!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology loves to gladhand Florida politicians, even though it usually has little effect
[EIGHT years ago] Why Scientology’s inability to pay its tax bill in Montreal is not a sign that it’s struggling
[NINE years ago] See ‘Going Clear’ star Hana Whitfield describe L. Ron Hubbard in a leaked 1997 interview
[TEN years ago] NARCONON EXPOSED: Scientology’s flagship drug rehab facility is struggling, records show
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,879 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,374 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,889 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,439 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,429 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,310 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,614 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,485 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,037 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,378 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,945 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,864 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,032 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,613 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,874 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,910 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,626 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,190 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,505 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,680 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,231 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,362 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,700 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,553 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,674 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,030 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,333 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,439 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,837 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,713 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,278 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,791 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,045 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,153 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 23, 2024 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
