TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’ve been paying a lot of attention to Scientology leader David Miscavige lately, but we also keep an eye on the geniuses who fork over huge amounts of money to him to keep Scientology going through a difficult time. And we have a couple of fun updates about them for you today. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The person whose auditing reports have been falsified is easy to spot in folders and records. The auditor marks “VGIs, F/N” and the Examiner notes bypassed charge and bad indicators. An auditor seeking to prevent this being detected has been known to take the Examiner Report from the folder but that there is no Examiner Report would be the first thing a C/S would notice. Examiner Reports have been forged and exchanged with the actual one but this too is very visible. Lack of a proper success story points directly to out tech and if it is not visible in the folder then that folder contains falsified auditing reports.” — 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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“Some time, by the way, when you haven’t anything else to do, read Gibbon’s ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.’ That’s quite a thing. I undertook that some years ago because I was having trouble sleeping. But I decided I would read it from one end of that many-volumed volumes to the other — read the whole thing. And it was quite an interesting exercise. I hope I never get so ambitious as to start reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica from one end to the other. But, I will say, I am running out of reading matter now that Ian Fleming has picked himself up another body. May have to do it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 18, 1965
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“UPPER OT GRADES: By this time there must be about fifteen OT grades above Clear already developed. These exist in research form and have not been released. AOLA is begging for a new one, having delivered 500 OT VIIs. The danger is that an AO or org starts delivering to the same people and disconnects. Jbg broke itself doing this once. Affluent on selling illegal Power Processing, it suddenly used up all its CF. It had not fed in anyone at the bottom — no Testing or HAS or Dn or Lower Grades. It used up its CF hot prospects on Power and that was that. Jbg’s decline dates back to this period. It’s a way of disconnecting from the Public. AOs should be hammering SHs to get people through Solo R6EW and onto Clear and getting Clears onto lower OT grades.” — The Commodore, May 18, 1971
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“The fundaments of the free zone and one of the most important claims by Capt. Bill Robertson are the Free Zone Decrees. One being the following: 1. No interference is permitted in the zone known as Sector Nine until further notice. 2. This decree is to be enforced by the Galactic Patrol. 3. There shall be no use of atomic, chemical, or biological weapons in the zone 4. Travel to and from the zone is regulated and shall be subject to verification of intent and escort by the Patrol. 5. The technical and ethical experiment in progress by Sector Commander Elron Elray is not to be interfered with in any way whatsoever as it is extremely vital to the future of the Galaxy and its inhabitants. 6. The-Ethics Order by Commander Elray on the being Xenu, currently Joseph Strasburg, alias ‘Herr J.’ or ‘Mister J.’ of Germany/Switzerland banking circles, declaring him Suppressive, is to be enforced…By order of the Grand Council, Galactic Central, Mship relay by order of Sector Commander Elron Elray.”
2001: Mark Bunker and Jeff Jacobsen reported on the opening of a city park in downtown Clearwater. A Scientology group was responsible for improvements to the park, but initially declined contributions in honor of Lisa McPherson, Roxanne Friend and Congressman Leo J. Ryan. “At this afternoon’s grand opening of the brick alley in Downtown Clearwater, Pam Marks finally answered the question she refused to answer for the St. Pete Times. The secret committee has been revealed. Pam Marks today thanked Bennetta Slaughter and AMC for being in charge of placing the orders for bricks. Pam Marks also applauded the local newspapers for their supportive coverage, except for the St. Pete Times. She lambasted the Times and O’Neal in particular for their biased coverage. I was on the Cleveland Street entrance with my Lisa McPherson picket sign. I was there in place of my brick that would have said ‘Remember Lisa McPherson’ except the Citizens for a Better Clearwater rejected that brick as being disharmonious to the community. So I stood near the curb with my sign and flyers that explained why I was there. I only gave out one flyer. It was essentially impossible to miss my sign if you were in the park because there are of course only 2 entrances into the park. Antonio the Scientology security guy was all excited and videotaped the first 45 minutes of me standing there, then just watched the rest of the time. Paul Kellerhals came over and watched me quite a while, then came over with a copy of the injunction and claimed I was violating it! Clearwater police Lt. Hall came over a few minutes later, apparently called there by Scientology. He talked to me briefly, saw what I was doing, and told the nearby cops that I was fine. After a bit a nice lady came and told me that my brick was now in the park! Sure enough, it’s right at the base of a bench, in a reasonably good location.”
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“All the e-meter is capable of is measuring galvanic skin response. It has as much scientific, technical value as X-Ray glasses and Sea Monkeys.”
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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 June 13.
— ‘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 June 16.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Sentenced to 7 years in prison.
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] POOF: Scientology decides the 2022 L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Event never happened
[TWO years ago] Verdict watch: Will defense attorney Philip Cohen’s sartorial splendor be a factor?
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s homophobia: Checking in with Derek Bloch 10 years after we first met him
[FOUR years ago] Jane Doe 1’s brutal testimony about alleged rape by Danny Masterson on Day 1 of prelim
[FIVE years ago] JANE DOE DROPS CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT SUIT AGAINST SCIENTOLOGY AND DAVID MISCAVIGE
[SIX years ago] Graham Berry does it again: More Scientology financial fraud spelled out in legal demand
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s founder in 1948: Dianetics was ‘unfrigidizing’ women into ‘nymphos’
[EIGHT years ago] To whet your appetite for season 2, A&E airing 2-hour ‘Leah Remini’ special on Memorial Day
[NINE years ago] Scientology responds to Garcia accusations; sexy Virginia congressional candidate visits an org
[TEN years ago] Just two blocks from Scientology’s LA headquarters, Paulette Cooper shone
[ELEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology fundraising fliers try desperately to hide the truth
[TWELVE years ago] Jon Atack on the Hypnotic History of Scientology Auditing
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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 3,268 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,763 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,278 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,828 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,818 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,204 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,699 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,003 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,872 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,426 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,767 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,334 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,253 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,421 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,003 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,262 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,299 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,015 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,579 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,894 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,069 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,751 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,088 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,942 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,057 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,419 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,828 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,224 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,102 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,667 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,178 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,434 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,542 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 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
