TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Danny Masterson’s victims want to bolster their lawsuit against Scientology by adding racketeering charges, and they’ve asked Judge Kalra to reconsider his ruling putting the entire case on hold. ALSO: We’re in Nassau County as a Scientology PI cross-examines his victim. Yikes! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The first C/S action to repair the repair is of course to get the list corrected with an L4A. You can often spot the listing goof as a C/S. It’s usually an O/R of an O/R list or an incomplete list or an ‘unnecessary list.’ It’s poison to list a pc on a Repair Pgm, however. 2 way comm it.” — 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 United States is having an awful happy time right now pouring billions into foreign aid so these dirty, filthy, fly-ridden grass huts in Balooga-uga-uga-stan can all be torn down and they can put in nice seven-bedroom ranch houses with hot and cold running politicians throughout. And they’re just having a ball. And nobody is more surprised or will be more surprised than the United States government at the end of a period of time to find out that the exact proportion of ‘hate the United States government’ and ‘love the United States government’ exists as before. They might even have gone over toward ‘hate it’ before, to the degree that they actually enforced people to live in these seven-bedroom ranch houses, see. Because you talk to a boy in Blooga-uga-uga-uga-stan and he’s liable to tell you something on this order: ‘Ah, nice house, yeah, nice house. Yeah, reeds, reeds, nice reeds, side of a river, nice reeds. Wife there to raise some yams and so forth, and nice reeds, very thin walls.’ So you say, ‘What do you mean, very thin walls?’ He’s kept crooning over this idea of these thin reeds, you know. And it doesn’t sound like this guy’s very smart. And he looks at you like you’re crazy.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 12, 1963
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“Your bonus and wherewithal to work depends on the arrival and departure of students. Flag expense is up to three and a half times to five times what it was last year, mostly in the FAO. Two recent weeks were only around three thousand and six thousand. Such an average would be just about a tenth of the total cost. The income of Flag must be such that 20 percent of the gross covers bonuses. If it does not, then there are no bonuses.” — The Commodore, June 12, 1971
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“More and more, it’s becoming apparent that the whole thing is being held together by a miniscule army of hard core true believers who are desperately trying to keep the roof from caving in on them. The orgs are empty. There are no new customers. Existing customers are slipping away in the night, and those who remain have been bled completely dry. Meanwhile, the news media is reporting on all the church’s dirty laundry – driving the church’s already wobbly public relations to unprecedented lows. The thing is now feeding on itself and shrinking by the day. At some point, only the Sea Org will be left – manning empty mausoleums and listening to pins drop.”
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1997: A progress report was posted this week on the Lisa McPherson civil case. “In depositions with (aunt) Dell Liebrich and (friend) Kelly Davis, Scientology is preparing the case that Lisa had a terrible childhood and abusive family. They also demanded to know who was paying for the lawsuit, perhaps to set up the theory that this is being financed by enemies of Scientology. In a deposition of Robert Davis, the Associate Medical Examiner who conducted the autopsy of Lisa, he at first claimed that he used the terms ‘insect bite’ ‘abrasion’ and ‘contusion’ interchangeably. But when confronted with the autopsy photos, was able to point out the clearly visible insect bites on her knuckles, and said the marks on her wrists are consistent with restraint. They may have come from any number of circumstances, but that restraint would make marks like that. The ME’s office continues to disagree, saying that there are no ‘edge’ features that would be typical of restraint. There are apparently other portions of the deposition in which he contradicts the ME’s office in the 300 page deposition. Although he claimed that Scientology did not approach him beforehand, sources say that he was approached, perhaps in an attempt to influence his testimony. There will be a hearing in Tampa on July 1st, in which Ken Dandar will ask the judge to release Scientology’s records of Lisa’s treatment at the Fort Harrison from the confidentiality provision. Apparently Scientology took extensive notes while she died.”
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“As long as you’re not a boo-hoo or a grim weeper, you’re all right in my book.”
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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’s up, Dave? Scientology still looks no closer to opening Austin and Chicago
[TWO years ago] Spend enough on Scientology, and you too can bend the universe to your will!
[THREE years ago] What’s going on at the compound where Scientology is keeping Shelly Miscavige?
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s new strategy for ex-members ignoring its letters: Sending out invoices
[SIX years ago] How to get fired from a Scientology job the easy way — a real-world example
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology and kids: L. Ron Hubbard talks about small children as ancient beings
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s ‘Battlefield Earth’ campaign, featuring Frank Frazetta and a crashed saucer
[NINE years ago] Jon Atack: Scientology’s early history is something most members don’t actually know
[TEN years ago] More proof of Kerri Kasem’s Scientology involvement, and Laura Prepon lies like a rug
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Doesn’t Want You to See Documents in Laura DeCrescenzo’s Forced-Abortion Lawsuit
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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 2,929 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,424 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,939 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,489 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,479 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,360 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,664 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,535 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,087 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,428 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,995 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,914 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,082 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,663 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,924 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,960 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,676 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,240 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,555 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,730 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,281 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,412 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,750 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,603 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,724 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,080 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,383 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,489 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,887 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,763 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,328 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,841 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,095 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,203 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 12, 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
