TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Days of wildfires fueled by the Santa Ana winds are still not subsiding in Los Angeles. It’s very frightening. And we’ve heard from readers who have sent us online postings questioning the activities of Scientology VMs who purport to be helping as they seek photo opportunities. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Insistence on rightness is a last refuge of beingness. Thus one gets some very aberrated ones. These he uses in situations where he thinks he might be found wrong. These are called ‘Service Facsimiles.’ ‘Service’ because they ‘serve’ him. ‘Facsimiles’ because they are in mental image picture form. They explain his disabilities as well. The facsimile part is actually a self-installed disability that ‘explains’ how he is not responsible for not being able to cope. So he is not wrong for not coping. Part of the ‘package’ is to be right by making wrong.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
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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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“And this is what? Eleventh of Jan. The mystic month. And we are finding ourselves in the middle of — no, it’s at the beginning — What cycle are you in? Well, anyhow, it’s on a planet, on a twelfth-rate sun, and it’s the beginning of the, it’s shortly after the winter solstice. Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. Well, if you lived right and if you knew what you were doing and many other unlikely activities, you have it made. But we have to assume, we have to assume that if none of you have grown wings in the last 24 hours and you actually have had a PC on an E-Meter as an auditor and the PC hasn’t grown wings in the last 24 hours with all the tools which you’ve got, we must assume that there is some faint disconnection between what I am trying to teach you and what you are doing. I would say there’s some small gap. Maybe not a large gap. Maybe only a light year or two.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 11, 1962
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“The Auditing Completions are starting to roll in. With a wow and a hurrah! Some important people have gotten some lovely gains lately. At the other end of it, 2 of those leaving came through it. We have the planet by the tail.” — The Commodore, January 11, 1971
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“Warning for the true believers, maybe dont read: After someone goes Clear in Scientology they are encouraged to quickly get to OT3. They are warned that they are now vulnerable to problems or something, and that they must get to OT3 as quickly as possible. Now this is a good marketing tool, it encourages one to continue with Scientology even though they have gone Clear. They must for their own safety. Its like the government encouraging us to get vaccinated for our safety, it’s all about scaring someone into behaving how you want them to. Because some people were in the religion just to achieve Clear, this warning makes them think ‘Oh, I’m vulnerable, I must continue doing Scientology.’ So it’s a good way of keeping them around and getting them to buy their next level and do it asap. Which is what salesman always do, ‘you must buy now!’”
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2001: The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Time Magazine has won an appeal by Scientology to reverse the dismissal of a libel lawsuit over the 1991 cover article. “Time Inc. and another unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. have persuaded a federal appeals panel to uphold the dismissal of a libel suit brought by the Church of Scientology International. The lawsuit stemmed from a 1991 cover story in Time magazine titled ‘Scientology: The Cult of Greed,’ which called Scientology ‘a ruthless global scam.’ The 7,500-word story by journalist Richard Behar said the church survives by ‘intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner,’ and called Scientology a ‘ruthless … terroristic’ cult. The church sued Behar, Time and Time Warner for libel, claiming that these and other statements were defamatory.”
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“If Scientology could, then based solely on the words of L. Ron Hubbard they would be gladly killing ‘infidels’ who refused to convert.”
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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, 2023. Appeal brief due by December 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 January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
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. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1.
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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] Mark ‘Warrior’ Plummer, Scientology critic and archivist, 1951-2024
[TWO years ago] Why the Golden Globes is joking about Tom Cruise, Shelly Miscavige, and Scientology
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s Los Angeles center is rumbling again, and we’re here for it!
[FOUR years ago] Scientology celebrates even more wealthy donors, and we’re happy to lend a helping hand
[FIVE years ago] Sonya Bianchi, 1927-2020: Hubbard’s first ‘Clear’ who vanished from Scientology history
[SIX years ago] Kansas City: Don’t panic. Your skyline is screwed, but Scientology isn’t taking over.
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s ‘scripture’ includes a thoroughly debunked mammoth-meat hoax
[EIGHT years ago] Last night’s family on ‘Leah Remini’ found themselves targeted by Scientology attack site
[NINE years ago] David Bowie, 1947-2016
[ELEVEN years ago] Our man in Europe reports on Belgium’s criminal prosecution of Scientology
[TWELVE years ago] Blogging Dianetics, Part 2: The State of Clear!
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,141 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,636 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,151 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,701 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,691 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,077 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,572 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,876 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,747 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,299 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,640 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,207 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,126 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,294 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,876 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,136 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,172 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,888 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,452 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,767 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,942 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,624 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,961 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,815 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,930 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,292 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,595 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,701 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,099 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,975 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,540 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,051 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,307 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,415 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 11, 2025 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
