Does Shelly Miscavige know it’s Christmas 2021?

 
Three years ago we decided that on Christmas Day it would be a good time to review what we knew about the disappearance of Shelly Miscavige, wife to Scientology’s leader David Miscavige, who vanished from Scientology’s Gold Base in summer 2005. We wondered if Shelly, kept hidden in a remote mountain compound, even knew it was Christmas. For the fourth Christmas in a row, we’re posting that story, since it still represents what we know about Shelly’s whereabouts.

 
We understand that Shelly Miscavige may be resigned to her fate.

But there’s a reason that “Where’s Shelly” is the number one question we get from the public — and it’s the same for Leah Remini. (We checked.)

For non-Scientologists, it’s simply incredible to think that David Miscavige, the leader of a worldwide “religious” organization, could get away with banishing his wife to a small mountain compound, never to be heard from again. On a day like today we can only wonder, does Shelly Miscavige really feel no desire to be with her family, or even just to see a few faces besides the dozen other people she has seen day in and day out for 16 years?

The question “Where’s Shelly” reached a whole new audience in December 2018 thanks to Leah’s television show, which provided a lot of background for viewers about Shelly’s upbringing. But the episode was light on details about Shelly’s current whereabouts and what we’ve learned about it in recent years. It was obvious from the huge number of questions we got on social media that week that viewers were left with a lot of questions. So on this meaningful day, let’s revisit some facts.

It was late August or early September in 2005 when Shelly vanished. We know that you heard Valerie Haney, in her Aftermath episode, say it was 2006, and a lot of media tends to say that. But when we talked with Valerie directly for our follow-up interview and compared notes with her, she agreed with our other eyewitnesses that it was late summer 2005 when Shelly disappeared, not 2006.

As we pointed out in a video we put out recently, the last public footage we have of Shelly was from September 2004, when Shelly was with Dave and with Tom Cruise at the Ideal Org opening in Madrid. It was at that event when Tom admitted to Dave that after breaking up with Penelope Cruz he was looking for a new girlfriend. Shelly was then put in charge of the effort to audition actresses to find a new mate for Tom, resulting that November in recruiting Nazanin Boniadi for the role. After that relationship broke up in January 2005, Tom found Katie Holmes on his own and their relationship became public in April.

As 2005 progressed, Valerie Haney and Mike Rinder and others have told us, the relationship between Dave and Shelly became more and more strained as they lived at Int Base (also known as “Gold Base”), Scientology’s secretive 500-acre international management compound near Hemet, California, where, the year before, an increasingly unhinged Miscavige had created “The Hole,” a literal prison for some of his closest lieutenants. Concerned with how Dave’s erratic behavior and epic tantrums were affecting other people, Shelly took it upon herself to make a few changes when Dave spent some time in Los Angeles without her that summer. First, she rearranged some job positions (filled in an “org board”). It was Valerie who explained to us that Shelly did so in part to assign some people to positions where they would be less likely to be in contact with her husband. Shelly was trying to lessen their exposure to his volcanic temper, in other words. And she also had Dave’s belongings crated up so that a long-planned renovation to their quarters could finally get going.

When Dave returned and saw that she had taken the initiative, he blew his stack and returned to Los Angeles. A week later, Shelly vanished. A new detail that was finally confirmed for us by Valerie was that during that week between Dave’s freakout and Shelly’s disappearance, she grabbed a car at the base and drove to Los Angeles in a last-ditch effort to save her marriage. But she soon returned after that mission failed. She was then taken away. This is an important detail, we believe, because it counters the suggestion that Shelly, by taking the initiative while Dave was gone, purposely sabotaged herself so she could be sent away. Would Shelly have made the dramatic gesture of driving to LA to appeal to her husband if that was the case?

So, sixteen years ago at the age of 44, Shelly was escorted from Int Base (where “The Hole” was) about 60 miles to the much smaller compound in the mountains near Lake Arrowhead, the headquarters of the Church of Spiritual Technology, where super-secret CST operates its project to archive the words of L. Ron Hubbard to store in vaults for thousands of years. (We are constantly asked, could Shelly be in “the Hole”? No, the Hole is located at the base where Shelly was taken away from. And we have eyewitnesses to the poor wretches held in the Hole continuously from 2005 to 2016, and Shelly is not among them.)

[In this map, you can see the location of Scientology’s Los Angeles headquarters, “Big Blue,” and about 90 miles east the location of its international management base, Int Base, near Hemet. “The Hole” is located at Int Base, the place where Shelly was living until 2005 when she vanished. Shelly was then moved to the CST headquarters near Lake Arrowhead, a tiny compound about 60 miles northwest of Int Base and marked on the map. That’s where Shelly has been for the last 16 years.]

 
Almost two years after Shelly was sent away, on June 25, 2007, her father, Maurice Elliott “Barney” Barnett, died at the age of 77. When his funeral was held that summer, Shelly was allowed to attend, but in the presence of a Scientology handler, Anne Joasem, the ex-wife of the defector Marty Rathbun. According to Marc Headley, when someone who knew Shelly approached her with a request, she told them, “Listen to me. I fucked up, and I’m not going to be able to help you.”

(Another indication that Shelly is aware of her fate and its punitive nature: In 2013, just before Leah filed her missing-person report, we revealed that Shelly had told a family member “there’s only one way” she would ever again leave the CST base, referring to the prospect of a family funeral.)

In the 14 years since that sighting — 16 total since she first was escorted from Int Base — various lines of evidence tell us Shelly has been confined to the CST headquarters compound in the San Bernardino Mountains. The place goes by several names, depending on who you’re talking to: Twin Peaks, Rim of the World, Rimforest, or also Crestline, for the nearest hamlet.

In July 2013 news of Leah Remini’s defection broke. On Monday August 5 she filed a missing-person report with the Los Angeles Police Department. Why the LAPD? For years Leah exchanged cards and gifts with Shelly, whose official address was 6331 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, and which is to this day David Miscavige’s official address. That location is the Hollywood Guaranty Building, an office structure that on its ground floor contains the “L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition.” The 11th floor is where Miscavige and his most trusted aides run Scientology when he’s in L.A. We’re told that there’s a place there where he can crash for the night, but it’s not the location of his apartment, which was actually a few blocks away.

Anyway, 6331 Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles was the address Leah had from the years she was corresponding with Shelly, and that’s why she submitted her report to the LAPD on Monday August 5, 2013.

Two nights later, on Wednesday, we got word that the report had been filed. The next morning, Thursday August 8, we broke the news that Leah had filed the report. Later that day, reporters who were calling the LAPD for comment were told that Shelly had been contacted and that the idea she was missing was “unfounded.”

Leah was hammered by the press, which for some reason thought her report had been dealt with in less than a day, because our story had come out that morning and by the afternoon the LAPD was saying there was nothing to it. But that’s not what happened.

After Leah filed her report on Monday August 5, and before the LAPD said it was unfounded on the afternoon of Thursday August 8, the LAPD claims that it visited Shelly and talked with her.

When we called to ask about it, we were forwarded to Lt. Andre Dawson, who told us two of his detectives had met with Shelly. He wouldn’t tell us where that meeting had occurred, and when we asked him if the conversation had happened in the presence of other church officials, he quickly said “That’s classified.”

Meanwhile, Leah herself never got any response at all from the LAPD, even though she had filed the missing-person report to begin with.

Did Lt. Dawson’s detectives go up to the CST headquarters, which is in another jurisdiction, San Bernardino County, to check on Shelly? Was Shelly instead brought down to Los Angeles to meet the detectives? Or was the LAPD merely lying to us?

In 2016, Leah still wanted answers about that. Through an attorney, she filed an official records request with the LAPD for documentation on what they had actually done when she filed her missing-person request. But the LAPD told her it was going to give her no documentation at all.

Around that same time, in 2016, we heard from a branch of Shelly’s family that is not involved in Scientology. They asked us for some advice about what to do, saying that they at least wanted to make sure that Shelly was all right. We pointed out to them that the CST compound is in San Bernardino County. So they approached the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, asking that a welfare check be done on her.

They were told that the Sheriff’s Department would require evidence that Shelly was at that location, and the department did nothing.

Surprised by that response, we sent our own letter to the Sheriff’s Department, explaining the evidence that Shelly was located at the compound, as well as a recent possible sighting of her in the town of Crestline itself. We received this response…

Hello Tony,

Concerning the welfare of someone within the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s department, any call for service we receive will be appropriately addressed and handled accordingly.

Advertisement

We encourage anyone with information regarding a crime, or potential crime, to contact Sheriff’s Dispatch or their local Sheriffs station to report it so the matter can be investigated and resolved.

Thank you,

Adam Cervantes, Deputy Sheriff

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept.
Public Affairs Division

So, the LAPD claims it checked on Shelly in 2013 but won’t provide any details about it, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says it doesn’t have enough evidence that she’s at the CST compound to go check on her.

Is Shelly even alive? We see this suggestion a lot on social media, that Shelly is already dead or has been killed, and there’s a good reason why we tell people it’s probably not true.

Scientology may be very effective at keeping Shelly out of sight, but covering up a death is another matter entirely. Consider the case of Anne Tidman, for example. Also known as Annie Broeker, Tidman was one of the last people to see L. Ron Hubbard alive, and she was also kept out of sight at a Scientology compound for years. When she developed cancer and then became very ill, she was moved to an apartment in Hollywood, where she died in 2011. Scientology was able to keep news of her death quiet for several months, but eventually her family was told about it, and that’s how we became aware of it. If Shelly died, we think the news would get out even more quickly.

Also, Scientology’s attorneys, in reaction to Leah Remini’s episode, made claims to the media that they had either personally seen Shelly or communicated with her. Scientology attorneys may be unpleasant human beings, but they aren’t going to risk their law licenses and claim that a dead woman is alive and well.

Shelly is alive.

She is at the CST compound near Crestline, California, the same place she’s been for 16 years. (We have amazing drone footage of the place, and a former employee there even pinpointed where he thinks Shelly is living and working there.)

She is now 60 years old, and if claims of a recent sighting in the town of Crestline is correct, she may be in ill health.

And yes, we will say again, she may be resigned to her fate.

But on this day, of all days, why can’t her family spend time with Shelly Miscavige? Why can’t she speak for herself? Why can’t we ask her to explain, in her own words, why she is shut up in a tiny mountain compound and can never leave?

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Continuing our year in review: The stories of May 2021

In a year of stunning leaks and revelations, this was one of the biggest: We made public a document in the Danny Masterson rape case written by one of his accusers and detailing how badly the LAPD initially handled the case. Still entirely ignored by the other media, this crucial document helps illustrate just how much these women have been through getting this case to court.

The next day, Sunny Pereira gave us another vivid glimpse inside the madness of the Sea Org.

We thoroughly enjoyed HBO’s look at the QAnon phenomenon, “Q: Into the Storm,” and we spent some time looking at the Scientology crossover elements in the series, including Joy Villa’s brief appearance.

Another Scientology celebrity getting away with nonsense questions in an interview, in this case Erika Christensen, motivated us to list a few real questions she should be asked by reporters.

On May 7, we noted that the Internet was burning up over a document that little person and reality TV persona Hollis Jane Andrews had posted, showing the insane requests that a Scientologist couple made of anyone working for them as a nanny.

Tom Cruise turned in his Golden Globes, but we said it would matter more if he turned in his Scientology Freedom Medal of Valor.

If anyone was still unclear about it, we literally drew some pictures to help people understand why Scientology leader David Miscavige has gone to war with the city of Clearwater over a tiny 1.4-acre plot of land that he covets.

On May 15, we noted that a Tik Tok video had gone viral that featured Ian Rafalko, a young man saying his father Eric Berg, a hugely popular YouTuber handing out nutrition advice, was in fact a major donor to the Church of Scientology. Rafalko later put out a longer YouTube video about his disaffection with the church and with his father, and also appeared on Leah Remini’s podcast.

Historian Chris Owen gave us another incredible deep dive, this time looking at Scientology’s disastrous war on Prozac in the 1980s.

May’s biggest story, of course, was the preliminary hearing held in Danny Masterson’s criminal rape case that lasted four days. We were on hand for each of those days, sitting in the front row at the courtroom in Los Angeles, and running out to the hallway to type up our impressions as quickly as we could to a waiting audience. On day one, Jane Doe #1 began her gut-wrenching testimony about being semi-conscious in Masterson’s bedroom after being given a drink in the jacuzzi. Her cross-examination by Masterson’s attorney, Tom Mesereau, began.

On day two, Mesereau continued his plodding cross of Jane Doe #1, and then Chrissie Carnell-Bixler began her testimony, and her cross-examination. It was on this day that Mesereau took the surprising step of trying to impeach Chrissie by having her read from a Scientology ethics book. Prosecutor Reinhold Mueller made him pay for that by making Mesereau look ridiculous. Already, by day two, we are stunned by how much Scientology is a part of this case.

On day three, Chrissie’s cross continued, but there was the added wrinkle that Mesereau had your proprietor served with a subpoena (which we would eventually get quashed). Exciting times. Later that day, Jane Doe #2 began her testimony, which was as brutal as the accounts by the other two women.

On the fourth and final day, we got the closing arguments, and then Judge Charlaine Olmedo not only found that enough evidence had been presented to justify a criminal trial and bound Masterson over for it, but she also specifically cited the evidence about Scientology as key in understanding why the victims had not come forward sooner. Stunning. It was an amazing four-day courtroom experience, and we’re so glad we got to attend and bring the Underground Bunker audience along with us.

A few days later, Valerie Haney petitioned the US Supreme Court over the “religious arbitration’ ruling that had derailed her lawsuit against Scientology. But SCOTUS later declined to take up the matter.

That same day, we learned that the California Supreme Court had decided to grant review to Danny Masterson’s accusers in their civil lawsuit, which had also been derailed over arbitration. We couldn’t help thinking that the California justices had been influenced by the shocking testimony in Masterson’s criminal prelim.

And finally, we noted that we’d set off a bomb over at the Daily Beast: Thanks to one of our readers, we managed to get our hands on the actual 1960 screenplay that was a collaboration between Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and Leni Riefenstahl, the infamous documentarian of Nazi propaganda. We also learned much more about how the collaboration had come about, which had never been reported anywhere.

 
A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2020: Reasons why NASA should send Tom Cruise into space. Dianetics turns 70. Leaked audio from Freewinds commanding officer Sharron Weber. Jane Doe in Miami dropped her lawsuit against Scientology. Phil Jones records a Scientology recruiter about wrecking families. Scientologist antivaxx star Leigh Dundas debuts at the Bunker.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2019: The Freewinds became world famous for a case of measles. Joey Chait told us his Freewinds horror story. Family awarded $11 million in Narconon lawsuit. Chris Owen has startling new info about L. Ron Hubbard’s biggest WW2 blunder. John Travolta’s daughter Ella Bleu makes her Scientology debut.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2018: Geoff Levin came forward to tell his story about finally reuniting with his brother Robbie and getting their band People! back together. Joy Villa took down her ‘testing the waters’ for Congress page. Some new L. Ron Hubbard letters up for auction included him talking about how Dianetics helped him “unfrigidize” women. Erika Christensen got a new trophy. And Luke Ayers gave us some Aussie-flavored Scientology hip-hop.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2017: We talked to the families involved in the Tennessee house of horrors operated by Scientologists and shut down by local authorities. We got our first drone footage of the compound where Shelly Miscavige is being held. A random photo revealed the location of a Scientology dad, disconnected for seven years. Leah Remini tided us over between seasons with a 2-hour special.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2016: One of Ron Miscavige’s fellow musicians sticks up for him. L. Ron Hubbard admitted he was mostly kidding. Kate Bornstein and Caitlyn Jenner raided the Los Angeles org. And Tommy Davis got a new job working for James Packer.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2015: Our book about Paulette Cooper, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely goes on sale and it’s featured on the front page of the Daily Beast. Paulette joins us for a talk on our book just two blocks from Scientology’s Los Angeles headquarters. At Spanky Taylor’s house we witnessed the meeting of Paulette and Leah Remini. Jamie DeWolf threw a twisted party for Paulette and your proprietor in San Francisco. And for once, Greta Van Susteren gets called out for her Scientology affiliation.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2014: Florida horse doctor Lee Shewmaker told us about what drove him away from Scientology. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden asked the IRS to review its policies on Scientology. We obtained the Clearwater Police report on the strange death of Russian Scientologist Evgeny Zharkin. And the National Association of Forensic Counselors files a massive lawsuit.

A LOOK BACK AT MAY 2013: Lori Hodgson makes a surprise visit to see her son in Austin, Ron Miscavige Sr. resurfaces by selling gym equipment, Wise Beard Man reports from Portland, and we review Marty Rathbun’s book Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior.

May 1: Andrea “i-Betty” Garner

I can tell you from personal experience how bone-crushingly exhausting it is to collate and compile the myriad details required for a statement like this. The double, triple-checking of dates, times, names. Confirming with others that you’ve remembered an item correctly. Reaffirming the sequence of events. Reading and re-reading your notes. Writing and re-writing your statement. Snatching for a pen to note down an important point that woke you in the dead of night. Unable to focus on a book or film – or conversation – because your thoughts are churning with dread that you have this one chance to get someone to sit up and pay attention so you’d better damn well do it justice. And for Jane Doe 1, who has been let down so many times before, the memories dredged up by compiling this statement will have added layer upon layer to her hopeless weariness. Well look what you did, Jane! You did a difficult, remarkable thing and now your efforts are being utilised to bring justice for you and Danny Masterson’s other victims. You did so good. “I walked in and I reported it anyway.”

May 5: Patty Moher

I’m interested in watching how this Q craziness plays out with the cult. In the past whenever Scientologists would go crazy with the latest fad, i.e. The Secret, multi level marketing schemes, or anything that sort of aligned with the cults nuttiness, there would eventually come down an edict, usually in writing, but not publicly distributed, that these things were forbidden because it takes the attention off Scientology also known as counter intention or other intention. This is different because it’s political. So I’m really curious how DM wants to play this. Stop it or try to recruit Q nuts into the cult. Many are ripe for the picking.

May 7: Kristen

I condensed it for them: “raise our kids for us while we devote all our time to Scientology”

May 16: theetie weetie (aka Sunny)

I would like to thank Richard Behar for the Time article, because besides everything else it caused, another ripple was an emptying of the RPF program. Around 250 were freed, including myself. At the age of 19, after having been on the RPF for years, I was freed.

May 18: Hana Whitfield

Waiting for updates is like giving birth … your site, Tony, is so busy it’s slowing down, halting now and then, jiggling a little. Jerry and I applaud everyone who’s tending this site today, including our man, TO, and getting the news out. today’s events are going to have a monumental impact on taking Scientology down, even if it works a bit at a time. This is going to tear the FAIR GAME guts out of Scientology and expose it to the world. Thanks so much, TO!

May 19: Garumpf

My daughter asked yesterday what the trial was about that I was watching. I told her it was a Scientologist who was charged with raping three women. She responded: if he is guilty, he should be frozen and tossed into a volcano in Hawaii.

May 20: Chocolate Velvet

In the first day’s testimony, when JD #1 described how Luke Watson argued with Masterson and tried to intervene to keep Masterson from taking her upstairs, that suggested to me that the people around him knew exactly what kind of guy he is and what he does to drunk and vulnerable women at his parties. So of course the question is, why the hell was Masterson allowed to be such a monster? Why wasn’t he ostracized socially? Why did his friends continue to come to his parties or go out with him and watch him prey on women and do nothing about it? The answer is, for the same reason so many other celebrities and powerful people in Hollywood and elsewhere are treated the same way. People see what is going on, they know or at least strongly suspect that violent crimes are being committed. There is gossip, and it becomes an “open secret” about certain people. But they are money makers and power players, so it is tolerated and abetted. It is a sick, sad aspect of a culture that worships celebrities, fame, and wealth that people go along with such monstrous behavior, and that it is so hard to get others to believe such people are capable of those things. We’ve seen so many cases in recent years that have exposed this. Obviously, scientology is not alone in prioritizing protection of the image and the profitability of the rich and famous over justice and human decency. None of this will change until we collectively hold the enablers accountable along with the rapists and predators, until the cost of keeping quiet becomes greater than the cost of refusing. I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen, though. It is a greedy and cynical world we live in, and we are all so inured to it.

 
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Jon Atack and Karen de la Carriere

 
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Did you know you can get an email every morning when we post our daily Scientology story? We know some of the folks who come to the Underground Bunker aren’t here to talk about the politics of the day, and that’s why we created a daily politics feature over at our other blog, The Lowdown, and we ask readers to take their political discussions over there. And if you drop us a line at tonyo94 AT gmail, we’ll put you on the list so you get a morning reminder that a new Scientology story has been posted — and only for our Scientology stories.

 
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Source Code

“1980 draws to a close and we enter 1981. I just wanted to say ‘hello.’ They say a man is known by the high quality of his friends. So I must be very well known. I think I am very fortunate to have such a friend as you. One owes a friend some accounting of himself. You may be wondering what I’ve been up to lately. Would you like to know? I am as well as can be expected for anyone several trillion years old. I’m not doing any motorcycling nor much driving. I miss the good old days of sailing around in the Apollo. Sitting on a mountain top looking at the distant sea is no substitute for being on it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 25, 1980

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“Thank you for all your presents. This Christmas I was completely out-created — I received very many more presents than I gave — and all very lovely ones. Our poor AOs, SHs, ships and bases did not receive many greetings from Flag this year. We were so concerned about them that we didn’t use the last Couriers to send them our last minute Christmas greetings. We did send cards earlier. We’ll have to make it up to them. AOUK and AOLA sent lovely big cards. AOSH DK sent presents. Their best present was greatly raised AOLA and ASHO stats. We heaved an awful sigh of relief over that. Three cheers for our upstat cooks, stewards and engineers and QMs who made the Christmas for the rest. That was a terrific dinner. What a nice day!” — The Commodore, December 25, 1969

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Dear Mr. President, We Free Scientologists would like to contribute to the task of making America great again. The American writer L. Ron Hubbard developed an advanced technology to free the human mind from past experiences (trauma) so that the people can think freely and manage their lives successfully….Since then Scientology has experienced a hidden influence by intelligence agents, which finally took over Scientology in the 1970’s and put it under the control of the Deep State….As the intelligence community wanted a monopoly on these capabilities, they…put Scientology onto ‘Nixon’s enemy list’ and used the FBI-COINTELPRO to get rid of Hubbard — an Interpol-warrant was issued and he was imprisoned on 4 December 1972 without a chance of legal recourse….The original Scientology — as developed by L. Ron Hubbard — contains the methods and techniques to free the human spirit and mind from past experiences and constraints…We need all the resources available in each person to survive the global crisis which is ahead of us. We need many more people as clear and powerful as you, Mr. President, obviously are. Please help to rehabilitate the true potential of Scientology by ordering these agencies to stop infiltrating and get them out of our church….Thank you for being there and taking the responsibility of the post of US President. I love you too.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1999: The Daily Radar web site reported that Scientology celebrity Jenna Elfman recently refused to participate in a charity autograph auction. “During the last holiday season, the Dharma & Greg star refused to take part in a celebrity autograph auction for an organization that raised money for the care of children with HIV. As a brainwashed devotee of The Church of Scientology, the bah-humbugy Elfman stated that she couldn’t support any organization that raised money for AIDS research or relief because ‘AIDS is a state of mind, not a disease.’ Get over it! They’re babies, for Buddha’s sake!! (or should we say ‘for Xenu’s sake’ — in honor of her wacky alien leader/god?). Ironically, Scientology megacelebs Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and John Travolta all donated autographs for the same auction.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Christmas in the U.S was invented by Ulysses S. Grant, Macy’s, and Sears & Roebuck after the Civil War to help jump-start the economy and pay for the war. The Pilgrims banned Christmas. Christmas in Europe was a drunken eat-till-you-puke orgy.”

 
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next hearing set for February 8. Trial scheduled for August 29, 2022.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), false imprisonment, aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Next hearing scheduled for January 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Pretrial conference January 22 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for February 11.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Eleventh Circuit affirmed ruling granting Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Garcias considering next move.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ US Supreme Court denied Valerie’s petition Oct 4.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: California Supreme Court granted review on May 26 and asked the Second Appellate Division to direct Judge Steven Kleifield to show cause why he granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Oral arguments held November 2, awaiting a ruling.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9, 2020 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for June 28, 2022.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 23. Appeal hearing held Aug 23-27. Awaiting a ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.

 
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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, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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] Does Shelly Miscavige know it’s Christmas 2020?
[TWO years ago] Does Shelly Miscavige know it’s Christmas 2019?
[THREE years ago] Does Shelly Miscavige know it’s Christmas?
[FOUR years ago] Thetans roasting on an open fire: It’s Christmas in the Bunker, and we’re full of cheer
[FIVE years ago] From those who left, a special Christmas message for Scientology’s remaining members
[SIX years ago] Merry Christmas 2015: Here’s your Scientology present under the tree
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2014 in review: May your days be merry and bright!
[EIGHT years ago] Merry Christmas, and here’s your present! From the Underground Bunker, with feeling
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s 2012 in Review: Eight Days that Shook the World
[TEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Merry Christmas 2011!

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 25, 2021 at 07:00

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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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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