Activists have tracked down a woman French police tried for years to question about the 2006 suicide of a Scientologist — and she’s still working for the movement.
For years, senior Scientologists said they could not help French police investigating the suicide of Gloria Lopez, a member of the movement in France. They said they had no idea where three of their members wanted for questioning over the affair might be. But French activists have revealed that at least one of the women is still working at the heart of Scientology.
Investigators believed that Juliette Wagner-Quercia may have played a key role in the events leading up to the suicide of Lopez. And she now works at one of Scientology’s biggest centers.
Chanology France, a group that monitors the movement’s activities, used leaked documents and open-source research techniques to track her down. They established that as of November 2019 she was handling recruitment by correspondence from the movement’s center in Copenhagen, Denmark. Researcher and activist “benjaltf4” published their findings on Wednesday.
Investigators closed the investigation into the 2006 suicide of Gloria Lopez in 2016 — and normally under French law, a case inactive for more than three years cannot be reopened. But some observers believe this new information could be reason enough to do so. One of them is Arnaud Palisson, a former intelligence specialist with the French police who wrote his doctoral thesis on Scientology.
Chanology France had provided significant new information, he told the Bunker. “In such a case, if new elements later emerge in relation to these facts, then the investigation file may be reopened on ‘new charges’.”
The fact that a key witness has turned up working for the very organization that had told investigators they could not find her could itself be grounds for fresh charges, he argued. “We are now able to get our hands on someone who should have been placed under investigation.”
Scientology ‘lied’
Longtime Bunker readers may recall some details of the case from our March 2015 report. In December 2006 Lopez stepped in front of a train one morning at Colombes station just north of Paris and was killed outright. She was only 47 years old. Her two children believe it was her involvement in Scientology that destroyed her.
Over the course of several years, she spent more than 250,000 on Scientology courses and materials, including money from the sale of an apartment she inherited in Spain. The family’s lawyer Maître Rodolphe Bosselut still thinks Lopez’s suicide was down to a crisis during a visit to Scientology’s European base in Copenhagen earlier that year — and the subsequent pressure on her to return.
“We were looking for Mme Wagner to question her for non-assistance of a person in danger over Gloria’s time in Copenhagen at the Sea Org,” he told the Bunker.
The family already knew from witnesses and her private papers that Lopez had returned from the visit extremely upset, he said. They had a letter from Mme Wagner to Lopez in which she insisted that she return to Copenhagen. “But we didn’t manage to question her. I would like to know what she had to say about what happened in Copenhagen,” he added.
At the time the investigation was active, they had asked a senior Scientologist in Paris where Wagner-Quercia was. He had replied that no one really knew her there. But they already had a 2006 letter from Wagner to Gloria, which included addresses at Copenhagen and Scientology’s rue Jules César offices in the heart of Paris.
“So when he said he didn’t know who she was, he lied,” said Me Bosselut.
And now, she turns up working for Scientology back in Copenhagen — where Gloria Lopez made her fateful trip nearly 15 years earlier. Did that mean the case could be reopened? In theory, yes, said Me Bosselut — but he was not convinced this would actually happen.
The original complaint he filed on behalf of the family was for organized fraud, abuse of a state of weakness (abus de faiblesse) and harassment. The legal authorities would ask if she was central to the main case, he said — and their answer might be no. And even if they did, he pointed out, they would still have to get the cooperation of the Danish authorities.
“I’m a bit depressed about the state of play in France regarding cults,” he confessed.
He did not get the impression that either the authorities or the judiciary were committed to tackling the issues, he said. “It is not a subject that excites them.”
This is something the French daily Libération was warning about back in 2015, as we reported at the time.
Persons of interest
At the time the case was still active, French police wanted to question three Scientologists who had known Gloria Lopez during her time inside the movement. Senior Scientologists they spoke to could not give them a solid lead on any of them. They wanted to speak to:
— Wagner-Quercia, who introduced Lopez to Scientology and who, according to family and friends was a strong influence on her during her early years inside the movement. Back in 2006, as she appears to be now, she was working at Scientology’s Copenhagen base and was Lopez’s point of contact there.
— Elisabeth Haley, Lopez’s auditor at Copenhagen. Haley wrote twice to Lopez in the months following her visit there, trying to get her to return for further auditing. The contents of those letters make it clear she knew that Lopez was in difficulty.
— Danielle Ambert, a high-level Scientologist (OT VIII and a former mission holder in France). She acted as Lopez’s financial adviser at a time when she came into a substantial sum of money — most of which she subsequently spent on Scientology.
Inquiries back in 2015 established that Danielle Ambert had links to the movement at least until 2013. Kristi Wachter’s invaluable database based on Scientology publications suggests she was taking Scientology courses at least up until 2009.
Public records – and one or two other sources – suggest that she was probably based in Clearwater, Florida between 2007 and 2011.
Then between 2010 and 2013 she gave as her forwarding address the relay office for Freewinds, Scientology’s cruise ship for high rollers, that operates in the Caribbean.
Last night, we reached out to Wagner-Quercia — and to Eric Roux, a senior Scientologist with knowledge of the case — and await their response. We also hope to hear back to from Gwenn Le Berre, the son of Gloria Lopez, who played a leading role in publicizing the case.
In the meantime, if anyone else has can offer any more information on any of the three people above, we would like to hear from you.
— Jonny Jacobsen (jonnymcj@hotmail.com and DMs open on Twitter: @jonnymcj)
“A little bulletin here: Aussies, hang your head in shame! All through the Commonwealth with the greatest of ease, I was able to slow down this government raid on the church in Washington, but not in Australia. You see, the lines go straight from Australia to the United States and back and forth. And the whole rigged government release in Washington landed scram-bang into the press in Australia. So Australia is a seething mess of ‘God ‘elp us’ now, and somebody from the Australian syndicate is coming down to see me tomorrow, and they want to know all about it. I’m not going to tell them very much beyond a fascist government raided a church. I’ll tell them, Be very, very careful, though, because apparently there’s a million dollars in the offing to fight this in the United States. They actually got all kinds of leads and money pouring in like mad from all directions, and the situation looks very dark for the United States.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 10, 1963
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“It all just makes it real to me of what LRH says on OT2 about the effect of implants and also just how well the CIA has hijacked the tech for both the church and FZ. What I have been witnessing is one huge confusion. It will require one seriously strong being to find the stable datum around which all else will unconfuse. And then we will still have fucknuts insisting that their version is the only correct one. Much like the circus called Christianity.”
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“Miscavige isn’t that old and he’s got plenty of money, real estate, and willing slaves to play with. I saw an interview with Pol Pot shortly before he died and it boiled down to him saying he wished he could do some things over but he did what he thought was best for the people of Cambodia. Miscavige is either a non-believer who thinks ‘suckers get what they deserve and if it wasn’t me somebody else would be fleecing these idiots’ or he’s a believer and thinks ‘Yes, I’ve been a strongman, but that’s what was necessary to insure the survival of this organization.’ Caesar or charlatan?”
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Start making your plans…
Head over to the convention website and meet us in St. Louis!
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
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 our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Uh-oh. Someone trusted a whole bunch of money to a wealthy Scientologist.
[TWO years ago] Xenu or Xemu? Here’s our take on one of Scientology’s galactic-wide mysteries
[THREE years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: Once again, Scientology’s a horror show for the mentally ill
[FOUR years ago] A business executive looks at Scientology as a (poorly run) business
[FIVE years ago] COMING IN MAY: A book about Scientology’s most infamous campaign of terror
[SIX years ago] Black hearts and burning crosses: Scientology litigation is getting weird in Texas
[SEVEN years ago] ‘The Master’ Gets Three Oscar Nominations
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology and Oiliness: More Renderings from the Super Power Building
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,813 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,317 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,837 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 857 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 748 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,055 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,923 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,697 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,471 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,817 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,383 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,302 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,470 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,051 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,312 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,350 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,063 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,588 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,115 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,678 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,818 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,138 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,994 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,113 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,468 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,771 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,877 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,279 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,151 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,734 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,229 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,483 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,592 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 10, 2020 at 07:00
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