TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Yesterday we told you that Scientology donor Dr. David Minkoff has been added as a defendant in the Whitney Mills wrongful-death case, and there were references to experts who were consulted. We thought you’d want to see the full assessment of Minkoff’s ‘treatment’ of Whitney. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Meters are used to measure water, natural gas, and many other things. An E meter is used to measure a pc. If you rig a meter up so as to falsify its reads you get a wrong result. You could rig up a water meter so it read that twice as much water had flowed and then sit around and wonder all week why the swimming pool never filled up. The ACCURACY of a meter depends upon its being honestly set up and honestly used. The HONESTY of the auditor determines his results.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1972
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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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“As you look over the history of Dianetics and Scientology you’ll see a cycle is in operation. We get more and more complicated, more and more complicated, more and more complicated and then suddenly we get to a new, higher level of simplicity. And then this simplicity gets complicated and more complicated and more complicated and then we get to a new, higher level of simplicity. That’s just a history of me outguessing you.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 12, 1961
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“DAVID MURDOCK McBRIDE is assigned to Div IV as deckhand. He is to be grooved in on his post by John Wilson. His buddy is Arthur Hubbard. DAVID LEE FARRELL is assigned to Division III as to be Stores In Training. He is to be grooved in by Jay Hurwitz. His buddy is Paul Preston. DEKKI LE MOATE is assigned to Org Bureau Mimeo Files to be grooved in by Mimeo I/C R. Stone. Her buddy is Liz Ausley. HUGH HARRISON is assigned to Div III, Steward. He is to be grooved in by Linda Cusworth. His buddy is Bertie van Hoecke. ROBERT WILLIAMSON is assigned to Org Bu Mimeo Files. He is to be grooved in by Mimeo I/C R. Stone. His buddy is changed to David Ziff. RON STRAUS is assigned to Mimeo Files. He is to be grooved in by Mimeo I/C R. STone. His buddy is Ens. Des Popham.” — The Commodore, September 12, 1970
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“The world is going mad more than ever. The dwindling spiral is speeding up. ‘Reasonableness’ says: oh, no, it’s all fine. (Of course, they want you to succumb with them.) Well, it’s not all fine, at all. You see it everyday. We were given the greatest of the greatest gift, The Technology, the Observations of a man who knew how to observe and he wrote it all down. We are all brothers in arms now and there is a Call to Arms now more than ever. Is this Technology going to be passed on to the children of this world or is it all gonna be AI (Automaticity)? We know better than anyone of Automaticity. So, this is a Call to Arms and no one is exempted. We should all be united. Enough with divide & conquer. Who’s gonna Unite us? LRH Admin Tech. The Big Missing Factor in the Freezone.”
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1998: The St. Petersburg Times reported that Scientology is opening a new school in Clearwater, the Clearwater Academy. “A new private school using educational concepts promoted by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard is scheduled to open today downtown. Clearwater Academy International, at Drew Street and Myrtle Avenue, will have an enrollment of 120 students from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade, said executive director Pam Chipman. A new $1.5-million facility now holds the combined enrollment and resources of three smaller schools that merged last year — A to Be School, Jefferson Academy and Renaissance Academy. About 150 people attended the event, including several top officials from the Church of Scientology, Clearwater’s Assistant City Manager Bob Keller, city Public Works Administrator Rich Baier and Nancy Cartwright. The annual tuition at Clearwater Academy is $7,800. School is in session year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday, except for 6 weeks of off time sprinkled throughout each year.”
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“The trick for recognizing an Aussie accent is that they always sound like they’re asking a question.”
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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. Masterson’s appeal brief due October 23.
— ‘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:
— 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] The Jane Doe victim statements at Danny Masterson’s sentencing: The transcript
[TWO years ago] Court agrees to issue summons for Scientology leader David Miscavige in trafficking lawsuit
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s new campaign to get you to sign its billion-year contract is here!
[FOUR years ago] RIFFER: David Miscavige too busy saving Scientology from Covid to be served lawsuit
[FIVE years ago] Hey, kids! It’s open mic night at your local Scientology spaceport!
[SIX years ago] FLORIDA IS IDEAL: Scientology ushers in glorious new civilization in country’s wang
[SEVEN years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: Two witnesses detail David Miscavige’s ruthless Scientology takeover
[EIGHT years ago] Steve Cannane’s Oz-flavored Scientology history ‘Fair Game’ gets a UK-US-Canada publisher
[NINE years ago] ‘Going Clear’ wins Outstanding Documentary Emmy, also for writing, directing
[TEN years ago] Escaping from a Scientology drug rehab center: A transcript
[ELEVEN years ago] LIVE FROM TEXAS: The Monique Rathbun vs. Scientology Temporary Injunction Hearing
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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 3,021 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,516 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,031 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,581 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,571 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 4,957 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,452 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,756 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,627 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,179 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,520 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,087 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,006 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,174 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,756 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,016 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,052 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,768 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,332 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,647 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,822 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,373 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,504 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,842 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,695 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,816 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,172 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,475 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,581 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,979 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,855 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,420 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,933 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,187 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,295 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 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
