TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: Scientology spent more than $15 million for a huge office building as it plans to go ‘Ideal’ on Long Island. It’s a sign that the church is booming there, right? Well, what happens if you actually drop by to see the current state of Hubbardism in Bethpage? Yikes, it’s grim! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“When the needle on an E-Meter read in the response to an auditor’s question, all you know is that the needle on the E-Meter read. That’s all you know. Now in the next few seconds you will prove out, as to whether the read was to the question or to something else like a protest. To assume anything else in regard to meter reads is an arbitrary and will close up that pc with a bang. That’s the data. Knock off all the arbitraries NOW. Punch in hard standard tech. Standard tech is that tech which has absolutely no arbitraries.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1968
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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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“I said, ‘Go ahead and fly through the air,’ to a preclear once in a very careless moment. Preclear had said something about flying all to pieces, or going up in the air, and I said, ‘Well, go ahead and fly through the air.’ It was a bad thing for me to do, because I was disgusted. I was disgusted with the preclear, and I actually mirrored it. And the preclear took it as an auditing command and looked at me blankly and said, ‘How am I supposed to do that?’ Well, I could have said at that moment, ‘It’s a mis-command. I didn’t mean it.’ But I didn’t. I picked the preclear up and made him fly through the air. And I said, ‘See, you can do it.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 15, 1957
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“SLIDE-TAPE SHOW: Geoff Barnes and Al Bornstein are highly commended for their excellent slide-tape show about Flag. As you read this it has already been exported to the various continents, having left the ship at 0600.” — The Commodore, March 15, 1971
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“In this Universe, spiritual survival and physical survival are polarized against each other. One tends to exclude the other. For that reason, trying to be an auditor and/or spiritual worker and make much money at the same time tends to be so difficult or unachievable. Spiritual workers have great dignity and are worthy of all the admiration, but they should know they need to keep a separate income. Understanding this is crucial for the immediate peace and future survival of auditing practices and other spiritual help activities.”
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2001: Internet news site slashdot.org was forced to remove a copy of the OT 3 materials from its web site following legal threats from Scientology. From “Commander Taco,” one of slashdot’s officials. “Last Saturday a comment was posted here by an anonymous reader that contained text that was copyrighted by the Church of Scientology. They have since followed the DMCA and demanded that we remove the comment. Our lawyers have advised us that, considering all the details of this case, the comment should come down. It’s a bad precedent, and a blow for the freedom of speech that we all share in this forum. We risk legal action that would at best be expensive, and potentially cause Slashdot to go down temporarily or even permanently. A text called ‘OT III’, part of what is known as the Fishman Affidavit. In its place we are putting non-copyrighted text: Links to websites about the church of Scientology, as well as links to how you can contact your congressman about the DMCA. Try a Google search on ‘OT III’ and ‘Fishman’ returns over 250 pages. A broader search on AltaVista returns over 2,000 webpages.”
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“I (and my parents) got my high school teacher fired for trying to use EST to teach us algebra. This was after he threw me out of the class for pointing out to him that EST was a cult and what he was doing was illegal and against school policy. This was like ’73 or ’74.”
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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.
— 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] Aftermath Foundation billboard pulled down, and ClearChannel isn’t saying why
[TWO years ago] Scientology leader David Miscavige doing business in Florida: The evidence
[THREE years ago] Is Scientology so desperate for new suckers, it would hand out snacks on Sunset Blvd?
[FOUR years ago] Scientology whistleblower Steve Fishman: Out of prison and getting younger every day
[FIVE years ago] Report: Scientology cancels LRH Birthday, but still spreads quackery about coronavirus
[SIX years ago] Tom Cruise, John Travolta and some other rare celebs made Scientology event in Florida
[SEVEN years ago] What do you want to see in Leah Remini’s third season of ‘Scientology and the Aftermath’?
[EIGHT years ago] Sheriff’s deputy on what Scientology does behind its gates: “That’s not my business”
[NINE years ago] Scientology disconnection rips apart another family, this time affecting a familiar face
[TEN years ago] ‘Going Clear’ subject Tom DeVocht gets a lesson in Scientology’s social media surveillance
[ELEVEN years ago] Ryan Hamilton files two new suits against Scientology’s drug rehab network — in California
[TWELVE years ago] VIDEO: What Did You Lose in Scientology?
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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 3,204 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,699 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,214 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,764 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,754 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,140 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,635 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,939 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,810 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,362 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,703 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,270 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,189 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,357 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,939 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,198 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,235 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,951 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,515 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,830 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,005 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,687 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,024 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,878 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,993 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,355 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,764 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,162 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,038 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,603 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,114 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,370 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,478 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 15, 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
