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: The Clearwater city council voted last night to vacate Garden Ave, the first step in selling the street to Scientology for $1.3 million so the church can make it part of their ‘L. Ron Hubbard Hall’ project. Mark Bunker spoke at the meeting and then shared his thoughts with us. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The Touch Assist brings the patient’s attention to injured or affected body areas. When attention is withdrawn from them, so is circulation, nerve flows and energy which for one thing limits nutrition to the area and for another prevents the drain of waste products. Some ancient healers attributed remarkable flows and qualities to the ‘laying on of hands.’ Probably the workable element in this was simply heightening awareness of the affected area and restoring the physical communication factors.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1969
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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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“DAILY REPORT: Well, we got out of there all right. This rocking and rolling is done to condition people for the latest dance — The Wriggle and Dive. TWO WAY COMM: It was stated in yesterday’s OOD that Two Way Comm was out in Div 2 and Qual. But it even got typed wrong. ‘Ack’ was used instead of ASK. The sense of it was nobody in Div 2 or Qual ASK (not ack) anybody what it’s all about. So Two Way Comm was out all around. But all joking aside this, the most basic process we ever had, dropped out and must be gotten into action.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 18, 1970
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“Flag auditors are easily the best in the world. They don’t kid around with cases. They know what they can do. The people audited on Flag go out of here to confront the ohs and ahs of their former areas on how changed and great they are. Any org could eventually achieve this stellar level of result. That isn’t just what FLAG does. It’s what any org could do if they really taught their courses and crammed their HGC auditors. Flag is a shining example of what CAN be done with Tech. Not new tech. Just tech. We saved a life last week with 1956 tech and an excellent auditor. That’s the way it must be, will be over the world if we here on Flag do our jobs.” — The Commodore, March 18, 1971
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“Most of the people that actually natter on about Scientology and Scientologists are talking about ‘things they’ve heard’ or ‘things they’ve read from sources’ or ‘my best friend said LRH was xyz,’ and when I ask for policies LRH actually wrote, they can’t provide it. So far, there are about three policies (and I’ve already read thousands of policies) that may be controversial or questionable, and two of the three were canceled. These two of three are the only things they ever go on about that was ‘so bad’ and the rest were third party crap.”
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1997: Diane Richardson reported a discussion of Scientology on CNBC’s program, Equal Time. “Guests were Jim Siegelman, author of Snapping, and Monique Yingling, the CoS attorney who handled their tax deal with the IRS. Siegelman knew his stuff and presented it well, in spite of Yingling’s constant interruptions and her efforts to talk over him. The main focus of the show was the New York Times article about the CoS/IRS deal. It also touched on Lisa McPherson’s death. Yingling was obviously unprepared to discuss that and appeared thoroughly rattled when it was brought up. Monique Yingling did not come off nearly as well — she appeared to be talking around the issues and her demeanor was thoroughly unsympathetic. Siegelman called for a Treasury Department investigation into the CoS/IRS deal. He also mentioned ‘the Internet’ as a source of information about the CoS.”
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“I found a notebook on the street back in the 90’s and it was the diary of someone who was obviously mentally ill, probably schizophrenic, and in parts it read just like a lot LRH’s ‘writings,’ like the stuff in today’s article. Looking back, I’m guessing most prophets were either schizo or con men or both, like LRH. That would explain a lot history-wise.”
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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] Danny Masterson victims calmly answer Scientology’s latest whine in lawsuit
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: Clarissa Adams on Scientology ripping apart families right now
[THREE years ago] Scientology enlisting police to indoctrinate kids? Sure, why not!
[FOUR years ago] Clearwater City Council denounces ‘Cult City Tours,’ expresses shock at operator behavior
[FIVE years ago] Scientology in the time of plague: Turning to Hubbard’s words on radiation for guidance
[SIX years ago] Michael Jackson and Scientology: When the Hollywood Celebrity Centre went on lockdown
[SEVEN years ago] Help us dig through this financial disclosure by Scientology’s sneaky front groups
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology goes into full smear mode in reaction to Leah Remini getting 2nd season
[NINE years ago] Monique Rathbun waives a response: Will the TX Supreme Court take up Scientology’s appeal?
[TEN years ago] Another ‘Secret Lives’ outtake: The neighbor who knew L. Ron Hubbard and his first wife
[ELEVEN years ago] DOX: Monique Rathbun’s response to bid by Scientology to stop the Miscavige deposition
[TWELVE years ago] Former Executive’s Tell-All Adds to Scientology Rehab Program Meltdown
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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 3,207 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,702 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,217 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,767 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,757 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,143 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,638 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,942 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,813 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,365 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,706 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,273 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,192 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,360 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,942 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,201 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,238 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,954 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,518 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,833 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,008 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,690 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,027 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,881 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,996 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,358 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,767 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,165 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,041 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,606 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,117 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,373 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,481 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 18, 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
