TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Yesterday we had the first half of donors recognized at two bonus Patrons Balls held this year by Scientology leader David Miscavige. Today, it’s the really big whales who have given $1 million or more, and if you gave more than $5 million, Dave got in the photo with you! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“Don’t start a pc on one thing and switch to another without finishing what you began. For example a case was started on Expanded Dianetics out of the blue, followed by three S & Ds, then a GF of some kind, then a track repair and then the S & Ds were handled. This is very bad programming. A case started on Expanded Dianetics must be programmed to complete Expanded Dianetics. This should be programmed according to Expanded Dianetics tech and not just one isolated item that needs handling. What is started on a case must be completed.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1977
——————–
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.
——————–
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
——————–
“I call to your attention something that every motorist has noted and no motorist had quite understood: that when he failed to drive his car it went to pieces. Have you ever noticed that? You park it in the garage the battery goes down, the tires go flat. Maybe it was up on blocks, maybe the battery was taken over to the service station and put on continuous charge and all of this was done. That’s some small prevention of the situation. But then three months later you put the battery back in, you take it down off the blocks and oil smoke goes out the rear end, won’t steer. That’s an oddity. The only reason it stayed there at all is because Earth is going around and it was being changed in space, at least to some degree. If it were not being changed in space at all, it would not be there; it would cease to persist. Now this is a great oddity. I don’t call upon your superstition in this regard, I merely call upon you to observe in its crude form something else.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 4, 1955
——————–
“Did you see in the news where Nelson (Smersh) Rockefeller was asked NOT to visit Venezuela? One smart country. Nelson’s National Health Foundation money finances Smersh. He also runs Stockades in NY where youth who MIGHT become delinquent are sent. (They really are called stockades). His oil companies also exploit Venezuela and drain off her natural resources. He’s touring Latin America with 26 top advisors (psychiatrists) at Nixon’s request to ‘find out what they want”. He stopped a whole 8 hours in one country. He has now found they don’t want Rockefeller. We have a personal note to one Central American Country’s No. 2 man. The area is too hot politically just now. We avoid such areas as political heat brings in the KGB of Russia, CIA of US and the British Intelligence and they file false reports with each other. Makes anyone in the area subject to hammering.” — The Commodore, June 4, 1969
——————–
“I have the impression that the Church of Scientology auditing skills are way inferior to the Freezone ones. Church of Scientology Scientologists act like weird brainwashed zombies in my opinion. I’ve noticed that a lot of Church of Scientology zombies are theetie wheeties.”
——————–
1997: Germany this week announced it would begin monitoring Scientology nation-wide, under laws designed to control terrorist and extremist groups. From Reuters: “The federal Interior Ministry and Germany’s 16 regional states said a working group on the matter had recommended that sufficient suspicion existed of anti-democratic intent for them to legally place Scientology under surveillance. Interior Minister Manfred Kanther said Germany would do all in its power during a year-long observation to assess whether the group, which Germany does not recognise as a religion, could be classified as anti-constitutional. About 20 Scientologists protested outside Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s chancellery, where Kohl was meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair, with placards reading: ‘Mr. Kohl. Stop the hate and violence against Scientology.’ ‘We wanted to send a message to Blair to ensure that he protects religious freedom in Europe,’ the spokeswoman said. Kanther denied that surveillance, already being carried out in the two large southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, represented persecution of the group. ‘In Germany, there need be no fear of a witchhunt involving state bodies,’ he said. Even if the surveillance did unearth evidence against the group, Germany could not ban it outright, he added. Women and Family Affairs Minister Claudia Nolte backed the scrutiny, saying in a statement that ‘our citizens must be protected against the unscrupulous profiteering of Scientology.’ The main opposition Social Democrats (SPD) also welcomed the decision as long overdue but the smaller Green Party criticised it, calling the planned watch authoritarian. ‘Using such heavy artillery risks producing martyrs and…making the organisation more radical,’ they added.”
——————–
“They do what’s called in Scientology ‘off-loading’ which is when some elderly staff member can no longer perform on the most basic level they throw their meager belongings into a garbage bag and drive them what they consider to be a safe distance from the org and they stop and open the door and tell them to get out. And I’m not joking.”
——————–
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:
— 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.
——————–
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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] VIDEO: Claire Headley on Scientology’s insane employment contracts
[TWO years ago] French minister details escaping Scientology as a child in social media spot
[THREE years ago] The Insider speaks: Scientology’s recent crises, now in a podcast with Chris Shelton
[FOUR years ago] Scientology veterans fend off attack in vicious new Clone Wars offensive
[FIVE years ago] Which of the Masterson brothers profited from their Scientology stepdad’s Ponzi scheme?
[SIX years ago] Why is the YMCA helping spread Scientology to kids?
[SEVEN years ago] Why don’t Scientologists go to authorities about the abuses they have seen or experienced?
[EIGHT years ago] Around the globe, Scientology relies on guys like this to promote L. Ron Hubbard to your kids
[NINE years ago] That time Muhammad Ali got blindsided by the Church of Scientology
[TEN years ago] Scientology’s plan to take over the planet: All Ideal Orgs ‘Saint Hill size’ by 2016!
[ELEVEN years ago] OY VEY: Scientology invokes Jewish Law to answer lawsuit by attorney Vance Woodward
[TWELVE years ago] Claire Headley Helps Us Get Back in the Good Graces of Scientology
——————–
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 3,285 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,780 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,295 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,845 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,835 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,221 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,716 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,020 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,889 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,443 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,784 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,351 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,270 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,438 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,020 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,279 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,316 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,032 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,596 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,911 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,086 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,768 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,105 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,959 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,074 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,436 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,845 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,241 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,119 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,684 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,195 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,451 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,559 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on June 4, 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
