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As Scientology whistleblower Hana Whitfield braced for Milton, she had news for us

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We knew one of the friends of the Underground Bunker preparing for Hurricane Milton’s impact was former Deputy Commodore of Scientology, Hana Whitfield. And when we called yesterday to check on her, she had much more serious news for us. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

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“When one speaks of knowingness, one should realize that one is speaking of an embracive thing. Everything on the Know to Mystery Scale is simply a greater condensation or reduction of knowingness. At first one simply knows. Then he makes some space and some energy, and so now he has knowingness in terms of looking. By changing the position of the particles of energy thus created, and by exchanging particles with others, extant or self-created, the thetan cuts down his knowingness further, and gets time, and so gets emotion and sensation. When these become solid, he has effort particles and masses.” — 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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Source Code

“Have you ever run a sperm sequence? It doesn’t have any energy in it either but it has all the energy there is in it. Have you ever seen anybody lying on the couch in the sperm sequence, and seen his feet start to swing sideways in an impossible motion? He says, ‘What am I doing?’ The energy which is generating that was of the magnitude necessary to wiggle the tail of something which is only visible in a microscope. And yet this fellow is wiggling his whole body on this tiny, tiny amount of energy.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 10, 1951

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The Sea Org proper was begun with Flag Order No. 1, 12 August 1967. On about that date the ‘Avon River’ was launched in Las Palmas. FO 639 gives 9 Oct 67 as the ‘proper’ beginning as it then had a function. But 12 Aug would be its real birthday.” — The Commodore, October 10, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“I would have to say I was quite neurotic and numb from many years of drug use and alcohol. I took a personality test and read Dianetics and found why I had asthma and allergies for most of my childhood years. That compelled me to dedicate my life more and more to study, first as a public and then on staff. I made gains every step of the way. There is so much to learn and study and big actions to address your case. First the ability to study and detox off drugs and alcohol with a Purification Rundown. You can choose how you learn but for me I dedicated intense study and case handling by joining staff and for 10 months completely studied and twinned up with others to learn practical training. I guess some are afraid to look into their minds and traumas in life. Scientology is a discipline to learn how to study clear words and to become more intelligent. I know it is the reason I love to help others now. I became a much better individual and ethical and now also I know I can learn any subject I choose to and my interests in life have expanded greatly. It is a Science.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1998: Lawrence Wollersheim posted a report on the status of documents seized by Scientology during its raid on Bob Penny, a former Factnet director. “Factnet absolutely did not scan or create the HCOB volumes found on Bob Penny’s computer. Scientology absolutely knew Bob and Factnet did not scan or create the HCOB volumes found on Bob Penny’s computer. Scientology knew and had exact copies of the unique HCOB volumes found on Bob Penny’s computer most likely years before Factnet was even in existence. Scientology and its attorneys knowing represented to the Denver federal court that Bob and Factnet did scan or create the unique HCOB volumes found on Bob Penny’s computer when they knew that was a lie and had in their possession the very same unique HCOB’s and additional knew all the time who really had created and distributed these unique HCOBs years earlier. According to the group of people who have just stepped forward a few days ago, these HCOB volumes were created or typed in the San Francisco area in about the 1986-1992 period. From Europe copies were sent and traded with David Mayo’s ACC groups for other Scientology materials that the ACC people had on computer. Copies were also distributed in Europe and at least one copy was sent to Australia. At least one of these copies was then sent to the US. This US copy was sent by one of the receiving US parties to Bob Penny anonymously in August/September 1993.”

 
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Random Howdy

“I lived through 70’s Punk, early 80’s hardcore, late 80’s alternative, and whatever passed for a scene in the first half of the 90’s, and most of my friends from those time periods are dead. But at least they had some really good times before their number came up. I don’t think Scientologists can say the same.”

 
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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:

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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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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] Biggest protest since Anonymous era planned for Scientology leader’s return to England
[TWO years ago] The case against Danny Masterson: Details from the prosecution brief on the eve of trial
[THREE years ago] Tom Cruise, looking puffy again between movie shoots, gets booed at SF game
[FOUR years ago] Read the prosecution’s smackdown of Danny Masterson’s attempt to get out of rape charges
[FIVE years ago] Nancy Cartwright tops $17 million as Scientology celebrates its whales
[SIX years ago] Scientology’s cruise ship the Freewinds: Why OT 8 needed to be delivered off-shore
[SEVEN years ago] Here’s how Scientology tried to keep you from seeing tonight’s episode of ‘Leah Remini’
[EIGHT years ago] One of Scientology’s new Narconons got inspected — and turned up one surprising result
[NINE years ago] Another minor omen of the coming Scientology apocalypse appears in Florida
[TEN years ago] Vance Woodward’s lawsuit dismissed as judge grants Scientology’s anti-SLAPP motion
[ELEVEN years ago] OOPS: Government Shutdown Stalls EEOC Lawsuit Against Miami Scientology Chiropractor

 
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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

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 3,048 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,543 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,058 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,608 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,598 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 4,984 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,479 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,783 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,654 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,206 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,547 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,114 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,033 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,201 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,783 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,043 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,079 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,795 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,359 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,674 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,849 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 7,400 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,531 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,869 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,722 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,837 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,199 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,502 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,608 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,006 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,882 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,447 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,959 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,214 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,322 days.

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 10, 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

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone

 

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