Last week, the Underground Bunker revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson in three cases of rape or sodomy of women who, like Masterson himself, were members of the Church of Scientology. Hours after our story appeared, the LAPD itself confirmed that it was investigating the three cases of sexual assault.
Once again, we want to emphasize that Masterson has not been charged with a crime, and he has put out a statement denying any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, in a Feb. 22 letter to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, the person we’re calling Victim A complained that the investigation has been plagued with mistakes and inaction caused, she believes, by the LAPD’s relationship with the Church of Scientology.
That first story, on March 3, included details about Victim A’s case that she spelled out in her letter to Chief Beck. On March 8, we told the story of the woman we’re calling Victim C.
Today, we’re detailing the story of Victim B after talking with a woman who worked in the victim’s family business at the time, when all of them were members of the Church of Scientology. Our source says the victim and her family constantly shared details of what Victim B was going through in the weeks and months after the incident, which took place on April 25, 2003.
“I was intimately aware of what was going on at the time. She and her mother would talk about all the details in front of me,” says our source, who asked us not to name her out of fear of retaliation from the church, which she no longer belongs to.
She agrees with the witness we spoke to in our March 3 story, that Victim B went to a party at Masterson’s house. “Later in the night, when there were fewer people, Danny brought her a drink. And that was the last that she had full consciousness — and she didn’t even finish the drink he brought her.”
At some point, Masterson tossed Victim B into his jacuzzi, and then, with her feeling drowsy, carried her upstairs to his room. Victim B told her family friend that she was in and out of consciousness, but at one point she found herself under Masterson as he was having sex with her. When she tried to get out from under him, he choked her — a claim that is also made in the official LAPD police report. She later came to and found herself in a closet.
“It took weeks for her to come to grips with what happened, and then she went to the church,” our source says. At the time, Victim B was supposed to be working on what is known in Scientology as “OT Preps.” They are exercises and interrogations to prepare the Scientologist for the legendary “Operating Thetan” auditing levels, high-end levels that can cost tens of thousands of dollars each. Before starting on OT 1, however, OT Preps is required, and it would involve intense questioning about all kinds of private matters. The questioning was scheduled to occur at the “Advanced Organization” which is part of the Los Angeles complex on Fountain Avenue colloquially known as “Big Blue.”
Knowing that she would be interrogated about private matters, Victim B volunteered to an ethics officer at AOLA, a Scientologist named Julian Swartz, her claim that she had been raped by Danny Masterson. Swartz then ordered an “ethics program” for her, telling Victim B that she would be declared a “suppressive person” if she went to the police.
Being declared “SP” in Scientology is like a death sentence. All other Scientologists who wish to remain in good standing with the church must cut off all ties to an SP, even if that means splitting up a family or causing a couple to divorce. For Victim B, like many Scientologists who grow up in the church, it would mean being cast out by nearly every person she knew.
The ethics program designed by Swartz involved interrogating Victim B on her “whole track.” Scientologists believe that we are each immortal beings who have lived countless times along a “whole track of existence,” and one goal of Scientology auditing is to “remember” what has happened thousands or millions of years ago during lives that might have taken place on other planets. Victim B’s assignment was to look for bad things she had done to other people during her past lives that would result in her being victimized by Masterson in this lifetime.
The interrogations happened off and on for months, costing Victim B tens of thousands of dollars that she had on account with the church for her OT levels.
At some point during that questioning, Victim B wrote up a report about Masterson and what he had done on the night of the party. Masterson then wrote his own “Things That Should Not Be” report, in which he reportedly admitted to choking her, but said she seemed to enjoy rough sex. (Our source points out that such a report would still be on file with the Hollywood Celebrity Centre.)
Then, the day after Christmas 2003, Swartz handed Victim B a “Non-Enturbulation Order,” which was another way of saying that she was on the verge of being declared suppressive. The order reassigned her to the Hollywood Celebrity Centre for more questioning, and if she didn’t go every day, she would be declared SP.
Our source says this terrified Victim B, because it meant there was a significant chance that she might run into Masterson there. Also, with the “Non-Enturb” order, she was told that if she caused any problems or concerns for anyone — including Masterson — she would be declared SP. And so, for example, one day at the Celebrity Centre when she ran into actress Laura Prepon, she had to smile and pretend everything was OK, and was frightened that if Prepon wrote a report saying that she was concerned about Victim B, it could get her declared.
The interrogation at Celebrity Centre was even more aggressive, and our source remembers that Victim B had lost about ten pounds during the process. And she wasn’t “metabolizing” properly, according to the E-meter, so she would have to go sleep somewhere, usually on the floor, and eat something before her questioning could continue.
The questioning went on for many weeks, and during that time, Victim B was told that church officials wanted her to meet with Masterson. But she refused.
Then later, a meeting was arranged, and to get Victim B to agree, the meeting was to be held not at the Celebrity Centre or another church facility but at Rev. Alfreddie Johnson’s World Literacy Crusade in Compton.
Rev. Johnson was a Baptist minister who had gotten involved in Scientology after the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and then had opened the World Literacy Crusade, which made use of L. Ron Hubbard’s “study technology.” (The WLC was disbanded more recently after several of its officials — but not Rev. Johnson — were arrested and are facing felony charges in a scheme to file fraudulent insurance claims with the state of California using unwitting high school students.)
So on a spring day in 2004, Victim B arrived at a room at the WLC in Compton where she was greeted by Rev. Johnson, a friend of Masterson’s named Luke Watson, and Kirsten Caetano, a powerful official in Scientology’s intelligence wing, the Office of Special Affairs.
Masterson was then brought in, our source says. She explains that Victim B had been told that the Scientology executives believed that Masterson needed to hear directly from Victim B what had happened so he could “confront” it properly. He was instructed to listen quietly as Victim B recounted the incident.
She got to the point of describing when Masterson was on top of her, and she remembered reaching for a lamp, hoping to use it to hit him and knock him off. He had responded by choking her to keep her from reaching it.
And at that point in the meeting, our source says, Masterson couldn’t keep quiet.
“I loved that lamp. I didn’t want you to break it,” he joked.
“The other people in the room really reacted angrily at Danny for joking, and they pulled him out of the room,” our source says, relating what she heard from Victim B. “But then they brought him back in and tried to keep going with it. But then he told another joke, and then Alfreddie said it was over.”
After the disastrous meeting, Victim B heard from a friend about someone else being attacked by Masterson. And that’s when she became determined to report her incident to the LAPD.
On June 6, 2004 as the police report indicates, Victim B filed her account of the attack. Two of the people who were listed as witnesses in the investigation were Masterson’s publicist, Jenni Weinman, who had taken Victim B to the party at Masterson’s house, and Julian Swartz, the Scientology “Master at Arms” who had overseen the “ethics program” of interrogations.
By July, however, the LAPD told her that they had been “bombarded” by an attorney representing Masterson, and the church had sent numerous witnesses to contradict Victim B and support Masterson. Unless another victim came forward, she was told, the investigation was being closed.
A few weeks later, in August 2004, Victim B was approached by Masterson’s attorney, who brought her a hand-written letter of apology from the actor. She was then asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so that she would never make her allegations public, and in return would receive payments totaling in the low six figures, our source says.
Once again, Victim B was put under pressure by the church, told by Julian Swartz that he had an SP declare order written up and would sign it if she did not sign the NDA with Masterson.
“Instead of signing that agreement, she should have gotten some honest to God therapy. But she wasn’t allowed to get therapy because she was a Scientologist,” our source says. With no real choice, Victim B signed the NDA.
No NDA, however, can keep someone from reporting a crime. And after Victim A was encouraged by Leah Remini to come forward with her allegations last November, the LAPD found Victim B’s case in its files, and then contacted her as it reopened her case along with its investigation of allegations by Victim A and Victim C.
Yesterday, we called the Advanced Org of Los Angeles and asked to speak with Julian Swartz. We were told that he was unavailable, but we left a message.
We wanted to talk to Swartz not only about the interrogations he reportedly put Victim B through after she shared her allegations of rape with him, but also his role in another incident we’ve written about here at the Underground Bunker.
Occurring about the same time, the other incident involved the molestation of several young girls by the teenage son of a woman who ran a day care for Scientology families. In that story, we described how an ethics officer named Julian “handled” the mothers of the victimized girls, making sure that they did not press charges.
We will now reveal that the Julian in our story about the day care was, in fact, Julian Swartz, who is named as a witness in Victim B’s police report and who, our source says, forced Victim B to spend months sifting through her past lives looking for evil deeds that would explain why she would be raped in our current century.
Just imagine what interesting testimony and documents Mr. Swartz might give, if the LAPD or some other law enforcement agency bothered to pay him a visit.
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Dani Lemberger on Rathbun’s turn
Thursday we told you about a February 20 courtroom scene in Tel Aviv when the partner in a major law firm there, Mattan Ben Shaul, said in open court that he had contacted Marty Rathbun on behalf of the Church of Scientology and obtained from him an email that Dani Lemberger sent in private to the former church official in 2013. Lemberger was unable to comment for that story because his lawsuit was still in settlement negotiations. Yesterday, those negotiations were completed (the terms of which are not being disclosed), and Lemberger sent us this message about Rathbun turning over his private message for the church to use against him.
Hey Tony, Shabbat Shalom,
Not much I can say about Marty. I was surprised by the Church’s attorney presenting the email from Marty but I don’t see it had much impact. It gave them satisfaction that they had something on me. I laughed at the very bizarre twist.
The next day I wrote Marty an email, see below. He didn’t respond. He did answer you when you asked him about it.
Marty and Tami and I spent a week together at their home in June 2012. That got us declared. I stayed in comm with Marty the next year or so, until mid-2013. He became weird and “anti-Indie Scientology,” so the correspondence ended.
There was never a real upset between us, he has no reason to want to hurt me. Only if he is now working with David Miscavige and being paid by Miscavige would he give any info to a lawyer in Israel he doesn’t know.
That’s all I know about this. Regards, Dani
Hello Marty, how are you?
It’s been a long time since we were last in comm.
A lot has been happening at my end, Tami and I have a lovely granddaughter, Dror Center is busy, we are doing well and are still working hard trying to make a better world.
How are you? How’s Mosey and your son?
I have finished reading some time ago your book, Memoirs of a Scn Warrior. What a story! I know you’ve been through a lot, I hope you are well and life is comfortable.
As you know, my lawsuit is going through the court in Israel. There was a hearing yesterday with myself cross-examined by the Church’s lawyer, Matan Ben-Shaul. He took me by surprise when he mentioned he had been in comm with you concerning the lawsuit and then presented to the court an e-mail I wrote to you in 2013. In this mail I told you of something that came up in my auditing at Flag, concerning David Miscavige.
I don’t think this e-mail has a major impact on the proceedings. Still this was upsetting to me since I did not expect you would act in any way to hurt me or help the Church against me. I’m just wondering about this, what made you give them my private letter to you. Of course, you have a right to do with your correspondence as you see fit but maybe you can tell me more about this.
Please let me hear back from you. Best reagrds, Dani
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Steven Mango sent us this shot from last night’s opening of Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie in Los Angeles. That’s him with Tiponi Grey. Go catch the movie if you get a chance!
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HowdyCon 2017: Denver, June 23-25. Go here to start making your plans.
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Scientology disconnection, a reminder
Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 4,687 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 1,790 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,284 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,324 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy in 1,036 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 503 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 4,621 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 1,791 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,111 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,086 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 442 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin in 4,744 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 851 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis for 1,253 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,126 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 707 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike in 1,212 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 1,456 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 12,565 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 11, 2017 at 07:00
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Our book, 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 about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
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
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten 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 | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
