TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Yesterday, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard — his legal name, although we also know him by his previous appellation, ‘Justin Craig’ — had his criminal trial delayed again. However, for the first time we have details of his charges, and wow, reincarnated Ron is facing brutal allegations. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“An E-Meter measures body tension. It is useful to Management in locating points of Stress after physical tests on equipment (as in test pilots or machine operators) so that faults of design where the machine is not well adjusted to man can be accurately remedied. It also works on physical stresses resulting from the tension of concentrating particularly when the student or trainee is unable to grasp materials or handle a subject
or equipment. By the use of the E-Meter a Hubbard Consultant can isolate the exact point of a man’s difficulty with a subject or equipment and clear this up. Or the exact point can be found where equipment is not well adapted to man.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1970
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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 [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“The guy for the last five years has been having trouble with his leg and he just sits in the auditing session with this hidden standard. He runs cows, crocs and alligators with great happiness. And at each moment after he runs the command, or every few commands, why, he kind of thetawise looks down at his leg, you see, to see whether or not that has been affected. “Well, alligators didn’t fit in that leg, so it must be something else,” you see? He’s running with his attention fixed on something else. And he broke his leg five or ten years ago and it has troubled him ever since. Well, you can assess that leg, and by the way, you can even assess it this way: His name, let us say, is John; you can assess ‘John’s leg,’ something of that sort. It’s always best to inspect the meter for a bit of reaction, but oddly enough, you don’t even have to, to do that. You just know this is a long-duration PI problem. The best way to do it is to make a list of terminals that the PC thinks it is. And then take a specific one, not take a general one. See, you don’t want this thing to be a profession. You don’t want it to be a profession, that’s all. Because he’ll run on it for quite a while if you take it as a general thing, see? ” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 1, 1961
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“Mr. Sibersky will be arriving aboard in a special motorcade. Any persons who wish to welcome him aboard on arrival are invited to be on hand, observing the following: 1) Dress Neatly, 2) To avoid a mob scene — crew and students should be on the dock lined up by Org (FB, FAO, FSO) and by course (for full-time students) (FEBC, CL X). The gangway, and all accesses to gangways should be kept clear except as noted in FSO 391. 3) Be on time. When exact ETA is known this will be made known by HCO Messenger so people can assemble ahead of time.” — W/O Mike Douglas, Org Off FSO, June 1, 1971
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“According to self proclaimed ‘Source Thetan’ Inelia Benz, this is a time to start creating the reality you wish to create for the planet. No longer a time to awaken the sleepers that don’t want to awaken. What are the postulates LRH did for this planet? He said this planet was going to be an OT base for the exit of this universe.”
2000: The Evening Argus published an article on former Scientologists in Brighton, UK. “Richard Ford stepped out of the taxi and walked through the entrance of Saint Hill Manor, the Church of Scientology’s UK headquarters. Richard had been a cult member before but had been expelled. Now he had been asked to rejoin and he looked on the day as a fresh start and an opportunity to prove himself. About seven months later he walked down the same drive a broken man. During his time with the Church of Scientology, Richard lost his possessions, had become so ill he had suffered premature hair loss and was so depressed he considered suicide. Auditing is the process where Scientologists are put into a trance-like state and relive past traumas, repeatedly going over the events until they feel cheerful about them. Richard said: ‘I went out walking on air, feeling wonderful and thought I would like to learn to help other people feel like this. They separate you from all outside influence and blast you with auditing and get a commitment from you and get you to sign a contract. I was invited into the London group and that continued for slightly less than a year. During that time my health was going down quite badly because I wasn’t eating properly because of no money. I had to move address a couple of times in the middle of the night for not paying my rent. I was working and not sleeping very much.’ In the mid-Nineties, the British arm of the Church of Scientology was plunged into crisis due to a decline in membership and a lack of people successfully completing their courses. Richard said: ‘There was a condition of danger declared. It means if the statistics of any Scientology group are declining rapidly enough, a senior body can declare a condition of danger and can directly intervene in affairs and carry out a purge.’ Richard was told to spend four months away from the cult. During this time he experienced a mixture of relief and a sense of failure at his dismissal. Richard, now 37, is philosophical about his time spent with the cult: ‘When I left I had nothing, I had debts of about 2,000 pounds. I felt how come an intelligent person like me fell for something so stupid? Why did I believe all those things so contrary to common sense? I’m still coming to terms with it.’ Richard has set up a helpline called Leaving Scientology to help other people who have left or are considering leaving the cult.”
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“Scientology’s aesthetic muse is the Hallmark Channel filming on location in Branson, Missouri with some Space Opera whipping on top.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘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 May 31, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, on hold until appeal over new judge heard.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
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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] What it was like watching Danny Masterson get handcuffed in Judge Olmedo’s court
[TWO years ago] Scientology co-opts ‘Top Gun’ success for its own fundraising needs
[THREE years ago] Does Scientology know that it’s a Truman Show? Let us show you their newest magazine cover.
[FOUR years ago] Boarded up and shut down, Scientology struggles to stay relevant in uncertain times
[FIVE years ago] Scientology Lit: The verse stylings of L. Ron Hubbard, commodore of cool
[SIX years ago] When the famous war protester met Scientology: A spiritual encounter in Los Angeles
[SEVEN years ago] Remembering another Scientology ‘warrior’ — with the help of Mark Bunker
[EIGHT years ago] Now that Scientology has a TV and radio complex, will it air what Scientology really is?
[NINE years ago] Listen to Jim Jones root for Scientology against Paulette Cooper in a 1978 Jonestown address
[TEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology’s latest attempts to get you amped up!
[ELEVEN years ago] Here’s Some Photographic Proof that Scientology’s “Ideal Orgs” Are Killing the Church
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 2,918 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,413 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,928 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,478 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,468 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,349 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,653 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,524 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,076 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,417 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,984 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,903 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,071 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,652 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,913 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,949 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,665 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,229 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,544 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,719 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,270 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,401 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,739 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,592 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,713 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,069 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,372 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,478 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,876 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,752 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,317 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,830 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,084 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,192 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 1, 2024 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
