TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A year ago we were stunned to see a very pregnant Elisabeth Moss at Scientology’s annual L. Ron Hubbard birthday in Florida. Now the church has posted photos of this year’s event, and once again Moss was there to give David Miscavige an ovation. How’s that for a handmaid’s tale? [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“A two weeks loss of pay and a suspension of certs is a penalty for any C/S or auditor who acts on a case (1) Without an up-to-date FS (2) Without an FES done on auditing, and: (3) Without a preliminary study of the folder before C/Sing or auditing (4) Who C/Ses for or delivers Quickie auditing of any level for ‘completion’ (5) Who does not work for the product of a fully and utterly completed pc on that grade (6) Who falsifies a statistic or a worksheet. FES Units must exist to FES folders for C/Ses. WE MUST END ALL QUICKIE TENDENCIES IN C/Ses AND AUDITORS.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1977
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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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“In the final analysis, everything is a postulate. Everything came about by postulates. We just could make postulates the end-all of everything, and we’re very safe on it. Everything rationalizes out very nicely. And postulates if treated as a topflight goal bring about a very, very fine condition on the part of the preclear. What are you trying to get him to do, in essence? Change his mind. He has a bad leg, he’s crippled; you won’t get that leg well unless he changes his mind about having to have a bad leg. Believe me, you won’t. The doctors can saw and hew and use axes and materia medica and Morris Fishbeins and everything else on him, and by George, his leg will not get well until he has made up his mind for his leg to get well.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 28, 1954
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“UK is in the mystic band. That’s the last stop this side of Hades, when an empire decides to go, Man. The basic law on this is: When dealing with unknown dangers over which he has no control and against which he has no defense, Man becomes mystic as to cause and effect. Reaching a population in that condition is quite a problem. It can be done, but only on the gradient of tiny cause and effect. By coaxing small reaches and giving very light effects it can be done.” — The Commodore, April 28, 1970
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“Scientology cosmology needs no reform. The brains of some ex-Scientologists need reform and therapy. Some even believe today in Darwin and human ‘democracy.’ The Marcabian takeover of Christianity: L. Ron Hubbard described since the 1960s how extraterrestrial Marcabians and world bankers had taken over Christianity. Today Israel is populated by imposter khazares who belong to Rothschild world banker, who holds the deed (Balfour declaration) and therefore is ipso facto king of the Jews.”
1995: A letter from the cos email group, TNX-L was posted this week. It describes efforts to spread Scientology into Colombia. Mike Edwards and Dick Weigand are involved in the project. They are spreading books and courses to the Colombians using high schools, the military and the police. “This ground work plus our connection to the Echavarria family has opened the door for us. Our purpose is to fill that vacuum created, claiming as much ground as quickly as possible through the introduction of LRH technology to the government, military, police, education and business personnel. The Military trained on LRH tech enabling them to achieve the result of a country without insanity (the real enemy), without criminals (Mafia, Druglords) and without war (guerrillas and terrorists), where the able can prosper and honest being can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights which are the aims of Scientology. To make this goal and target real for the officers and soldiers of the Military. Since the original report we have started delivery of the BSM to 12,000 high school students, which is in progress at this time. We are delivering to the Military enmasse and to the Police. Many great results have been obtained and further delivery is being planned by these agencies. We have 7 other High Schools, 42 elementary schools, and an entire State’s educational system in the country wanting LRH’s educational tech. We are also consulting the biggest businesses in the Country as a means of financing the social reform efforts.”
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“‘Malcolm In The Middle’ was so good I broke my rule for watching TV shows with Scientologists in them.”
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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 May 14.
— ‘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 April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
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. Leah’s appeal brief due June 3.
— 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. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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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] Val Ross: From Scientology spy to extreme drug withdrawal guinea pig
[TWO years ago] Defense opened the door to hacking allegations in Danny Masterson retrial
[THREE years ago] How a decaying landmark became Scientology’s legendary Hollywood Celebrity Centre
[FOUR years ago] Two Scientologists win seats on Los Angeles neighborhood council
[FIVE years ago] Scientology admits that it numbers ‘tens of thousands’ not millions, as we’ve been saying
[SIX years ago] Leah Remini and Mike Rinder dare Scientology defenders to go on camera
[SEVEN years ago] A new ex-Scientologist memoir provides a journey through extortion in the rank-and-file
[EIGHT years ago] With Scientology at war in Clearwater, religious studies types still seeking its warm & fuzzy side
[NINE years ago] MONIQUE RATHBUN BLAMES FORMER ATTORNEYS AS SHE PLANS TO DROP LAWSUIT
[TEN years ago] Secretly taped Scientology executive complains about cheating on the ‘Survival Rundown’
[ELEVEN years ago] Chris Shelton on the origins of Scientology’s notorious ‘Fair Game’ policy
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Baby We’re Amazed!
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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 3,248 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,743 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,258 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,808 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,798 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,184 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,679 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,983 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,852 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,406 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,747 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,314 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,233 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,401 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,983 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,242 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,279 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,995 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,559 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,874 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,049 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,731 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,068 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,922 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,037 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,399 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,808 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,206 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,082 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,647 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,158 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,414 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,522 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 28, 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
