TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: It’s always a great day when we hear from our old friend in Paris, British journalist Jonny Jacobsen. He thought we’d all want to hear about a recent discovery he made there as a well-known French graphic novel team is appearing to dive into Scientology’s noir origins. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“We are into a new echelon of service facsimile running. At Saint Hill in the mid-60s many, many service facs were found on each pc and the earliest service fac running included the use of Dianetics. This was later omitted from service fac procedure and service facs were handled solely with Scientology tech by running off the automaticities on the computation to cognition, F/N and VGIs in the pc. Phenomenal gains and case changes were made on pcs with that tech alone — all of them valid. That tech has been retained as a vital action to service fac handling. Now, with the advent of New Era Dianetics, service fac handling has been restored to its full technology.” — 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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“One patient, who all morning, every morning, had to be kept in an institution in a wet pack, promptly at noon with a smile would jump out of bed, after having been in a fetal position all morning, very happily get dressed, go around and talk to everybody, as sane as anyone you wanted to meet. But the attendants would come around the next morning and there she would be curled up in a fetal position, so they would again put her in a wet pack until noon. This went on every day, and had been going on for five years — an interesting example of a time clock running on an engram.” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 8, 1950
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“TREATMENT: I have been reading a book in which water and bathing is covered as a cure for everything from hangnails to leprosy. It began in 1829. In 1850 Dr. John Bell of Philadelphia brought this treatment to a fine art. His book was called ‘Dietical and Medical Hydrology: A Treatise on Baths; including Cold, Sea, Warm, Hot, Vapour, Gas and Mud Baths…All this has nothing to do with soap or getting clean. It’s how the MDs treated various diseases in the 19th Century — soaking, boiling chilling patients. (The psychiatrist is still stuck in that period and still uses wet packs and shocks, namely an ‘Electric Bath’.) It’s all very funny. So you see, throwing people overboard is NOT disciplinary at all. It’s the practice of Hydropathy (water treatment) guaranteed to cure them of anything they have. As the medicos did it for nearly a century and psychiatry still does it, then of course, it is the thing to do. Thus we should immediately get in a Hydropathic Registrar and Invoice line for all flubbing students or recruits and sign them up for ‘A Hydropathological Treatment’ and throw them overboard. Who are we to go against a century and a half of solemn medical tradition?” — The Commodore, July 8, 1971
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“I see the possibility of a renaissance of Scientology. It can be big again. A second opportunity. An opportunity to make it go right. To learn from past mistakes and not commit it again. However, currently the group is going through a process of dying and in my opinion the process must be carried through to its end. The place looks like a ghost town. It’s hard to see it, but to deny won’t help it. We must make an honest review, see what went wrong and do it again. The death of the Scientology group must probably be completed and at the same time we can try again. What were the worst mistakes of us? Give your opinion. Mine is: promising states that were never achievable. Pretension of having attained such states.”
1996: Robert Wright, author of the Cybersmear article in Time magazine responded to criticism of his article. He apparently does not believe that Scientology is engaged in illegal harassment. “I write, ‘With EarthLink preparing for its first public stock offering, this is not good publicity. On the Net, the Church of Scientology is the antichrist. It slaps lawsuits on church critics who post quotes from copyrighted church documents, sometimes getting federal marshals to search homes and seize computer disks. There’s no evidence that the church currently uses extralegal weapons against online critics — pries into their e-mail, say. Still, among the desirable qualities of an Internet access provider — the company whose computers all your e-mail and cyberwanderings pass through — ‘Church of Scientology affiliated’ does not rank high.’ First of all, by ‘extra-legal’ I meant ‘outside of the law’ in the sense of ‘not lawful.’ In retrospect, I should have just used the word ‘illegal.’ Several complaints about my piece have asserted that, even if you read ‘extralegal’ as ‘illegal,’ the sentence is incorrect. But the examples cited fail to convince me that the church of Scientology is *currently* engaged in illegal activities. Some of the examples are from years ago. Most are undated, making it hard for me to determine whether they indeed reflect the church’s current behavior. Some sound as if they’re in the twilight zone between legal and illegal. (Was the ‘theft by deception’ of a photograph technically a theft, or just a technically legal con job?) And in virtually no cases is the source of the information provided.”
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“Why does any henchman remain loyal to a corrupt leader? It’s because they are reaping some of the rewards also, whether it be money or power, or in Mary Sue’s case, both.”
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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 July 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 July 7.
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 Does’ response to Scientology’s appeal brief is due July 3.
— 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] The new Scientology miracles are here! Totally true stories of OT abilities, pilgrims!
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: Film critic Luke Y. Thompson on Tom Cruise as action star and Scientologist dope
[THREE years ago] The Insider: What I’m seeing is a Scientology in big trouble
[FOUR years ago] John P. Coale, OT 6 Scientologist, among attorneys suing Big Tech for Trump
[FIVE years ago] Scientology celebrity Catherine Bell’s July 4th was on fire!
[SIX years ago] David Miscavige misses out on $30 billion building project proposed by Scientologists
[SEVEN years ago] Masterson witness fears for safety as investigation drags on and on
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology and the Spoonbenders: Jon Atack on a previously unpublished Ingo Swann essay
[NINE years ago] Our money man takes another look at new (and grim) Scientology financial disclosures
[TEN years ago] NYTimes reports link between Scientology and hack of two who appeared in ‘Going Clear’
[ELEVEN years ago] Ryan Hamilton files lawsuit 16 against Scientology’s drug rehab network
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Leader’s Twin, Denise Gentile, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge, Pays Fines
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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 3,319 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,823 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,329 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,879 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,869 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,255 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,750 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,054 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,923 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,477 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,818 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,385 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,304 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,472 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,054 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,313 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,350 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,066 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,630 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,945 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,120 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,802 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,139 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,993 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,108 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,470 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,879 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,269 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,153 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,718 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,229 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,489 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,593 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 8, 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
