TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Last year saw Scientology open four new ‘Ideal Orgs’ by April, but nothing since then. Now we have evidence that two more may be very close to their grand openings. You know what that means: Dave will be coming out of his hidey hole to cut a big ribbon and shoot off some confetti! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Although finding and curtailing the development of the time track at genus is not improbable, the ability of the preclear to attain it early on is questionable without reducing the charge on the existing track. Therefore, any system which reduces the charged condition of the time track without reducing but increasing the awareness and decisionability of the preclear is valid processing. Any system which seeks to handle the charge but reduces the preclear’s awareness and decisionability is not valid processing but is degrading.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1978
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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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“A radio ad in the Los Angeles area in l950 was pulling in 125 new people a night. They came in, they were given cards, they were given a very bright lecture, they were very interested, they were given these cards to fill out as to whether or not they wanted training and processing, and what was their home address and phone number. The cards were handed out to them. The organization left them on the chairs, they fell off the chairs and on the floor, and eventually an old showman, the janitor, sort of got the idea maybe he shouldn’t be burning up all this trash and started turning them into me directly…That was the operating line of PE, l950. The organization was making a fortune, until it all just went bong bang crash thud bong on just too much Dev-T, out-ethics, dishonesty, various things. Somebody decided he’d like to cut himself a whole piece of the organization, things of this character. But the organization could be put back together again to run at that high rate of speed anytime, any minute. We have found out it doesn’t matter what the papers say, it doesn’t matter what Time Magazine says, it doesn’t matter what the psychiatrists say, the word of mouth in the streets, it doesn’t matter one bit at all. It doesn’t matter how many football matches, it doesn’t matter how many this, how many that and so forth. An effective, efficient organization which is viably running and so forth, makes a mint.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 1, 1972
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“We sail at 1700 today. Have all readiness reports in by 1500 and all bills paid please. Cond I will take her out of harbour and Condition VI with A2 up first will handle at sea. A VIP reception will be given in the next port on the 3rd of March. The ship will be cleaned, scrubbed and painted up for this event.” — Capt W.B. Robertson, Flag Ship Org, March 1, 1971
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“My purpose years ago was to become a free spirit and I had totally given up all considerations on MEST and really didn’t need it. I used it as it was required and had no need or inclination to acquire more of it as I considered it baggage. Money and or the exchange of goods and services got me where I needed to be and I was happy. My current wife is totally MEST-driven and has gotten me trapped in the acquisition of more and more of it to a point where I have a house with five bedrooms of which three are empty. Whaaaat? This is a huge trap for me. I am a free spirit not this MEST-accumulating humanoid. I have become what I didn’t want and used to look at others in the same position and see their trap. I need to revitalize my purpose.”
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2001: Dave Touretzky reported receiving a legal warning from Scientology lawyer Ava Paquette regarding his plans to discuss Scientology’s secret materials at a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. “You have posted an announcement to the newsgroup, alt.religion.scientology about your intention to publicly display the entire text of NOTs 34 under the guise of ‘teaching’ activities. Labeling
this activity as ‘teaching’ does not give rise to any exemption notwithstanding your views of the law. Given the context in which you are announcing your intentions, it is plain that your threatened display of the entire text of NOTs 34 as educational ‘fair use’ is a pretext. As you well know, Judge Whyte enjoined the unlawful reproduction of that work even when, according to Keith Henson, its reproduction was relevant to his
purported purpose. For these reasons, we demand that your refrain from your announced display of NOTs 34, without prejudice to any of RTC’s rights or remedies, all of which are expressly reserved, as is RTC’s right to take action without further notice to you.” “Dear Ms. Paquette, I was disappointed to receive your email message this evening, because my lecture in the Information Warfare class was at 11:30 this morning. I agree with you that use of material in the classroom is subject to copyright limitations. However, I reject your assertion that those limitations are exactly the same in all contexts. Copyrighted works are routinely displayed in their entirety in classroom settings, especially in the case of movies, audio recordings, or poetry. Nonetheless, I am delighted to see you acknowledge the possibility of fair use of Scientology materials. For the sake of argument, could you tell me exactly which paragraphs of NOTs 34 you think could be displayed to a class without exceeding the bounds of fair use?”
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“Crowley adherents take the man at his word just like you-know-who do. They don’t understand he was a showman B.S.-artist and it was all about the sex and drugs. They believe in ‘magick’.”
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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. DA’s response to appeal brief due April 15.
— ‘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 March 31.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal.
— 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] Priscilla Presley hangs out with Scientology celeb and longtime friend Gottfried Helnwein
[TWO years ago] David Miscavige objects to being served, claims he does no business in Florida
[THREE years ago] Scientology asks California Supreme Court to review its defeat on ‘religious arbitration’
[FOUR years ago] Hidden microphone: Scientology staffer shows how far they’ll go for $50
[FIVE years ago] Videos capture Scientology’s bizarre ideas about Clearwater election and Mark Bunker
[SIX years ago] Adam Holland, Scientology whistle-blower who exposed Sea Org conditions, 1988-2019
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology bragging on how well its Super Bowl ad did is the best thing ever
[EIGHT years ago] 15 of the strangest things Scientology’s two supreme leaders ever uttered
[NINE years ago] What Scientology kids are really taught to believe about other religions and ‘God’
[TEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology going all-in with fundraising and fire fighters
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: The harassment of independent Scientologists didn’t begin with David Miscavige
[TWELVE years ago] Is The L.A. Cyclist Who Was Nearly Killed in Hit-and-Run a Scientology “Sea Org” Worker?
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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.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,190 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,685 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,200 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,750 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,740 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,126 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,621 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,925 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,796 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,348 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,689 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,256 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,175 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,343 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,925 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,184 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,221 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,937 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,501 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,816 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,991 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,673 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,010 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,864 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,979 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,341 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,750 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,148 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,024 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,589 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,100 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,356 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,464 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 1, 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
