Confirmed: Law enforcement was informed about another alleged Danny Masterson victim

In June 2020, Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office with forcibly raping three women who were Scientologists at the time (they aren’t today). The DA’s office also revealed that it had considered the allegations of five different women before choosing to charge Masterson based on the allegations of three of them.

Four months earlier, we revealed here at the Underground Bunker that the LAPD had interviewed seven women about their allegations against Masterson in their investigation of the That ’70s Show actor.

Also around that time, the women who will be testifying against Masterson at his criminal trial (scheduled to begin on October 11) received a startling report. There was yet another victim that they had never heard about.

The news of this additional victim also reached us, but we were unable to confirm it at the time. We were told that Heather Smith-Levin, wife of YouTuber Aaron Smith-Levin, had come forward saying that when she was still in Scientology’s Sea Org, she had counseled a woman who claimed to be a victim of Danny Masterson. This victim, we were told, was still in Scientology and so there was little chance that she would cooperate with law enforcement. And because there was no record of her becoming a part of the investigation, we didn’t say anything.

But this week, Aaron Smith-Levin revealed all of this at his YouTube channel, and so now we can quote him on the record:

Some people have said I should say ‘alleged victims’ and not ‘victims,’ that perhaps it’s slanderous because a court and a jury have not found him to be guilty. I personally don’t need a judge or a jury to tell me about what I already know. I was still personally working for Scientology in Los Angeles as a member of Scientology’s Sea Organization when these acts that Danny is being accused of occurred. My wife was also still working for Scientology as a member of the Sea Organization out in LA when these attacks occurred, and the post that she was holding she actually received many of the reports that were written on Danny at that time by the Scientologists involved in these assaults. I know what I know. I know the people involved. I know they’re telling the truth. When all of this started to become public and information about this was being reported in the press, I was having a conversation with my wife and she said, you know I know of another victim of Danny’s who has not come forward yet because she’s still a Scientologist. And I assume most people know by now but if you’re a new viewer maybe you don’t know Scientologists are prohibited from ever reporting any information to the authorities about another Scientologist about anything no matter how criminal. So the name of that individual was provided to the authorities and it’s up to the authorities at that point to follow up, but in some ways the authorities are put in an almost impossible situation. It’s their job to prove that things occurred to get testimony to get evidence and yet when it comes to a Scientologist who’s the victim, if that Scientologist cooperates with the authorities they are expelled from Scientology and declared a Suppressive Person and they’ll lose all their friends their family their job, their housing, their income. It’s really an untenable situation. It’s almost impossible. It is impossible for Scientologists to cooperate with the authorities in matters that have to do with Scientology or other Scientologists and the only way they ever can cooperate is if they’re prepared to leave Scientology, prepare to lose their family, friends, and all that kind of stuff. So it’s a horrible situation that Scientologists who are victims of crimes are in, and that’s why I use the language that I use because I know it to be true and correct regardless of anything.

Meanwhile, in other news from the Masterson criminal case, things are heating up with only five weeks before trial as the prosecution has put out subpoenas to people it wants to testify. (Masterson has been charged under California’s “One Strike” law, and if he’s convicted of all three counts, he’s facing 45 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence.)

Some of the people the DA has subpoenaed are apparently not happy about it. On August 22, two motions were filed by potential witnesses, and as a result there’s now a hearing scheduled for September 14. One of the motions came from the law firm of Lavely & Singer, which is objecting to a subpoena and is trying to get it quashed. That’s the law firm that employs Danny Masterson’s civil attorney, Andrew Brettler, but it’s also the outfit of Brettler’s boss, legendary entertainment attorney Marty Singer.

We already know that Marty Singer is a part of this case and it makes sense that the prosecution would want him to testify. It was Marty Singer and Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon, along with Scientology “ethics officer” Julian Swartz who, accuser Jane Doe 1 has testified, pressured her to sign a settlement with Masterson in 2004 which required her to keep quiet about her rape allegations. She testified last May that she was told that if she didn’t sign it, she would be declared a “Suppressive Person” by the church and lose all contact with her family.

We sent an email to Singer asking if he’s the target of the subpoena, and if he’s trying to keep from testifying in the trial. We’ll let you know if he gets back to us.

The other motion filed on August 22 is under seal, but we’ve learned that it was filed by someone who was subpoenaed but doesn’t want to testify at the trial, and is asking either to testify remotely or before the trial starts.

We don’t know who this person is, but we have some intriguing guesses. We’ll keep working to find out who it is.

 
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Technology Cocktail

“Dianetics, like any other true treatment, like aspirin or penicillin, was originally designed to handle the apparent basic cause of psychosomatic illness. The first research was intended to help allied prisoners of war degraded by the Japanese and Chinese prison camps and who after VJ day were transferred to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital. Later, in 1954, in a much more advanced state of development, Dianetics was successfully employed to eradicate the results of allied prisoners of the Korean war who had been subjected to Russian brainwashing. The subject has been improved, made easier to teach and apply and its results bettered continually over a total period of 29 years. It has in 1969 been fully updated as Standard Dianetics. It is very successful and is in very broad use over the world.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1969

 
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Now available: Bonus for our supporters

Episode 11 of the Underground Bunker podcast has been sent out to paid subscribers, and Michelle “Emma” Ryan charmed us with her stories of running ESMB, the forum that provided such a great landing place for people fleeing Scientology, 2007-2019. Meanwhile, we’ve made episodes 1 through 10 available to everyone, with such guests as Jefferson Hawkins, Patty Moher, Geoff Levin, Pete Griffiths, Sunny Pereira, Bruce Hines, Jeffrey Augustine, and Claire Headley. Go here to get the episodes!

 
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Source Code

“Confidence in treatment on this planet is at its lowest possible ebb. The only planet I know of where it dropped any lower was the Marcab Confederacy, and it dropped much lower in the Marcab Confederacy. The way they taught medicine there, they had a number of drawers with dead, dried tissue in them. And they’d drag these drawers out, you see, and show the students, ‘And this is a dried head, you see. And this is tissue that’s been affected by tuberculosis. And this is this…’ and it was all dried, and so forth, and that was their total command of medicine. The only thing that was wrong with this particular activity is these really were infected tissues, and they were still carrying the germ spores, which I thought was always a little bit rough. But I remember giving medical lectures occasionally, and any student gave me any trouble, why, I’d just drop some tubercular tissue on his desk. This was all sort of raw. But there it got to a point where you weren’t ever permitted to get a new body. And this is typical of many space opera societies and is getting typical of this one. This one will go along too.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 5, 1961

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“I cognited on why it feels so good to be at sea — This is the Sea Org — of course.” — Capt. W.B. Robertson, September 5, 1969

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“DO NOT VOTE. Your vote will make zero positive difference in the outcome of the country’s future as all parties and the entire structure of voting is part of a huge negative creation and trap. By voting you immediately become ‘part’ and not ‘whole.’ By voting you become disempowered and no longer the person who decides your experience on Earth. It is the entire ‘democratic’ system that is the trap. There is no democracy. The system of democratic governance is designed and created to oppress the people of Earth. It is based on division, righteousness and aggression. The people are so busy fighting with each other that they do not see or are even interested in what really rules our reality. So… what rules our reality? YOU rule our reality. By giving your power away, you give the power to a system, person or organization to rule reality FOR YOU. So, what do you do instead? DO NOT VOTE. Create and support new educational, living and working structures and organizations. KNOW that covid19, global warming, racism and terrorism are ALL false flag creations made to DIVIDE AND CONTROL YOU. DO NOT get vaccinated for ANYTHING. This is very important.”

Past is Prologue

2001: A Fox News column by Roger Friedman noted the trend for the show Dharma and Greg to feature Scientology celebrities. “Has ABC’s Dharma and Greg become Scientology central for sitcoms? The group already has a vocal member in star Jenna Elfman, who plays Dharma. Elfman is the protege of acting teacher Milton Katselas, also a devotee of the pay-as-you-go cult favored by Tom Cruise, John Travolta and others. Last spring, avowed and outspoken cult member Kirstie Alley appeared in Dharma and Greg’s season cliffhanger as, of all things, a marriage counselor. Now the show has announced a full-time cast addition: Juliette Lewis, former drug addict and star of awful movies like Kalifornia and Natural Born Killers. Lewis is one of Scientology’s foremost celebrity zombies. Last summer at a Creative Coalition panel discussion in Los Angeles about violence in the media, Lewis pushed the Scientology agenda the minute she got her chance. She ambushed moderator Carl Bernstein when she announced that what was really affecting children today was not violence in the media. The real culprit, she said, was psychotropic drugs. Scientologists, including Alley and Elfman, are vehemently against kids with illnesses like Attention Deficit Disorder getting psychiatric treatment or drugs like Ritalin.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Dictators don’t like picking successors. It makes them nervous knowing there’s an official next guy. If DM croaks it will be just like when LRH croaked. He who dares, wins.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Trial scheduled for October 11.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Arraigned on August 29.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.

Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place, next status hearing October 25. Scientology petitioning US Supreme Court over appellate ruling.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for December 6.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior 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] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 1: Shattering the suppression from a 15-year-old
[TWO years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 16: James Packer
[THREE years ago] Available today, a new thriller based on a former Scientologist’s experiences
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s Colombia strategy becomes clear: It’s total war
[FIVE years ago] Missouri school district boots sneaky Scientology front group after Underground Bunker article
[SIX years ago] As Scientology declines, its members are even giving up on their spooky super powers
[SEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: The mystery of mysteries that all Scientologists chase — and can never find
[NINE years ago] THE MARTY RATHBUN AFFIDAVIT: Scientology Leader David Miscavige Lied To Texas Court
[TEN years ago] Scientology and The Master
[ELEVEN years ago] The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 12: Tommy Davis

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 5, 2022 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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), 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