In September and October 2015, we found ourselves at the Underground Bunker scrambling to keep up with a major national story that we’d helped to break: Actor Jim Carrey’s girlfriend, Cathriona “Cat” White, had been found dead of an apparent suicide at 30. We were the first to add the detail that Cat, an immigrant from Ireland, had become involved in Scientology in Hollywood and was doing its “Survival Rundown” when she ended her life.
Carrey’s history of outspoken jabs at Scientology helped make this a sensational story, and the press was thirsty for any detail about the young Irish woman. Some of those details were supplied by her good friend, a fellow Scientologist and struggling actor named Jenny Burpee.
Jenny described finding Cat’s body in interviews she gave tabloids, and we later learned that it was a friend of hers named Den Bradshaw who had actually found Cat’s lifeless body.
But there was no question that Jenny and Cat were tight and had been for years. Jenny was one of the first friends that Cat made when she came to the U.S., and helped her find a place in Hollywood’s young Scientologist set.
Jenny Burpee was from a deeply involved Scientology family from Ottawa, and she had even served a stint in the Sea Org. But by the time she became close to Cat White, Jenny was following her own Hollywood dreams as a hopeful actor, producer, and event planner.
And even after leaving the Sea Org, she remained active in Scientology’s “The Way to Happiness” Foundation, and had marched with the foundation’s float in the Hollywood Christmas Parade, among other activities and fundraisers.
On September 28, 2015, Jenny and her friend Den headed over to the house where Cat had been staying after Jenny became concerned that Cat hadn’t been answering her texts.
A couple of years after Cat’s death, Jenny began making bizarre and disturbing statements on social media, which suggested she was going through her own difficult emotional time. We reached out to her, and it began a conversation that lasted, off and on, for a couple of years.
We told Jenny that we worried her lengthy involvement in Scientology would prevent her from getting proper care for her emotional problems. Scientology hates the mental health industry with a passion, and demonizes all things related to psychiatry or psychology. Even former members of the organization can find it very difficult to overcome that conditioning and seek professional help for emotional issues.
Sadly, Jenny’s communications to us only became more incoherent over time. Our last email from her was in 2019.
Last Monday, on February 27, Jenny Burpee was found in her residence according to the LA County Coroner, which has deferred her cause of death pending further investigation.
“Jenny was one of my close friends while in the Sea Org,” says Clarissa Adams. “She and two other friends and I all stayed in the same room at ‘The Complex’ in Los Angeles for a period of time. Our married friend’s husband was sent out of town on a ‘mission’ or something so we all stayed in their room while he was gone. It was a bright spot in my time there. It was basically a slumber party with good friends every night for a few months, so Jenny and the other two girls made my days way more bearable.
“Jenny was a light. She was silly and fun and she was kind and caring. Before her mental decline she seemed poised to do great things.
“Writing this, I have no idea what actually happened to her or how she passed, but she will always hold a special place in my heart and I can only hope that she’s found peace.”
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Technology Cocktail
“We can be assured on the score of fallout — it isn’t dangerous at this time. It does not compare to the amount of ‘natural radiation’ with which we are being bombarded. If you went down to Florida to live you would increase your radiation count much more than it would be increased if you stayed well North and the government blew off ten thousand more test bombs…The reaction to radiation is thus entirely, completely, and wholly mental!” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1957
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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
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“Always had a lot of fun riding motorcycles, it’s something I shouldn’t do, not in America. Motorcycles are ridden by delivery boys. They’re ridden by admirals and members of parliament over in England so I always have to ride motorcycles with an English accent anyway, to keep up my social caste, you know, it’s very important.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 6, 1957
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“It should be made known that there has never been ANY order from the Commodore to have Dining Room windows left open so people freeze as they eat. There is an order to Chief Steward to handle cooking smells.” — OOD, March 6, 1971
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“LRH wrote up an assist process that helps a Being leave their body when they are ready. There’s no need to dramatically kill their body. I assisted my 90-year-old parent, successfully to cross over with this assist. The Being let me know all was OK in a dream. And I was honored to become a godmother.”
2002: Former Scientologist Caroline Letkeman reported that she received her Suppressive Person declare from Scientology. “Caroline Letkeman, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, is hereby declared a Suppressive Person. Caroline Letkeman, in November 2001, formally resigned from the Church of Scientology by means of a public declaration. In addition to this, she demanded full refund of all funds donated to the Church. In the year 2000, Caroline wrote an essay against Scientology which contained defamatory statements and black propaganda; this was written for a known suppressive group and was published through a broad communication medium. Attempts have been made by Church staff to assist Caroline to come to her
senses, however, she refused these efforts to help her and has continued to commit suppressive acts. Caroline has committed the following suppressive acts: VIOLATION OR NEGLECT OF ANY OF THE TEN POINTS OF KEEPING SCIENTOLOGY WORKING. PUBLIC DISAVOWAL OF SCIENTOLOGY OR SCIENTOLOGISTS IN GOOD STANDING WITH SCIENTOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS. PUBLIC STATEMENTS AGAINST SCIENTOLOGY OR SCIENTOLOGISTS BUT NOT TO COMMITTEES OF EVIDENCE DULY CONVENED. DEMANDING THE RETURN OF ANY OR ALL FEES PAID FOR STANDARD TRAINING OR PROCESSING ACTUALLY RECEIVED OR RECEIVED IN PART AND STILL AVAILABLE BUT UNDELIVERED ONLY BECAUSE OF DEPARTURE OF THE PERSON DEMANDING. It is hoped that Caroline comes to her senses and recants.”
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“Hubbard was definitely trolling people on some level. You can see it in that cartoon lupine grin he was always sporting.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Mistrial declared November 30. Retrial scheduled, jury selection begins March 29. Next pretrial hearing: Feb 16.
— ‘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 Feb 13.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next status conference Feb 13.
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. Hearing November 17 to argue the arbitration motions, awaiting ruling.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: March 15, 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 at least through February 7.
— 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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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] Never before published: Jane Doe 1’s plea to Scientology to report rape by Danny Masterson
[TWO years ago] When Rinder met Hubbard: A Scientology story for the ages
[THREE years ago] Riffer madness: Scientology in a tizzy days before next week’s hearing in Masterson suit
[FOUR years ago] When Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ is forever, and other developments
[FIVE years ago] What Scientology TV should be about — but won’t dare to put on the air
[SIX years ago] Scientology caught in a lie to federal court — but will the judge care?
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology snags a TV news host, and other social media finds around the world
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology posts the (nearly) full deposition of reclusive ‘Justice Chief’ Mike Ellis
[NINE years ago] Scientology gets the ‘America’s Book of Secrets’ treatment soon!
[TEN years ago] Scientology Response to Federal Lawsuit: Force The Garcias to Use Church Arbitration
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology, Deposed? Debbie Cook Goes on the Offensive
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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 2,960 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,465 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,015 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,005 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,896 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,200 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,071 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,176 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,653 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,965 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,531 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,450 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,618 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,199 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,460 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,497 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,212 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,776 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,091 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,266 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,817 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,948 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,286 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,141 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,260 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,616 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,919 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,025 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,423 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,299 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,882 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,377 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,631 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,740 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 6, 2023 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
