TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The holidays are still months away, but Scientology is already thinking about how it can get you to spend the big bucks and come to the cruise ship Freewinds for pricey services in the Caribbean over Christmas and New Year’s. Take the survey they just sent out to members! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Rate of case gain is enormously retarded by toxic substances such as drugs. The reason we can make a breakthrough with this is because of the ‘Theta-MEST theory’ covered in the text Science of Survival. Older scientific thought believed all life came from matter, a belief which goes back to the ancient Egyptian priests and remains today the dominant belief of chemists, psychologists and psychiatrists. A life form is a combination of life itself and the physical universe. Certain elements in the physical universe are highly antipathetic to life and when introduced into life forms, inhibit proper functioning and even destroy. The being (thetan) of course has potential pictures of these toxic substances and states and as long as they are in the body, these actual substances can restimulate a being. When they are gone from the body, the constant restimulation can cease. So it is actually a spiritual action that is being done.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1979
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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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“Anybody says to you, ‘Well, Scientology is weird because it believes in past lives,’ why, I look at them rather oddly and say, ‘Aren’t you familiar with the subject of psychotherapy?’ Be mean, you know. And they say, ‘Well, yes. Oh, yes. I’m a professor of Uptygup, you know.’ And say, ‘Well, why is it that you didn’t know that one of the primary branches of psychoanalysis and so forth — that of Professor Jung — believed implicitly in returns to druidism? See, we’re not being new at all’.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 25, 1966
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“We had a rather splendid cruise. Summer sea and a water glass. The Cons did great. I had to ballast her bow down a trifle — 2 tons then 10 tons of fresh water into the deep tank. And I had to pull her nose back out of the waves once (to stop pitching you come away from the waves, not further into it). But that was very little to do. You notice its smoother when I’m up than when I’m turned in, still. The landfall and docking was excellent. If you close your window fully you can’t hear the bulldozer on the dock. Your vent gives plenty of air.” — The Commodore, August 25, 1970
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“You are immortal and have lived many lives and so is the person who recently dropped their body. Why not take the time to contact them and make sure they are feeling better and have no lingering trauma from their unplanned departure? If a dear partner drops their body, you owe it to yourself and to your partner to ease them through the transition to a purely spiritual existence again. We are spiritual beings who take on human experiences for fun and sensation and we do this over and over again, hopefully getting better at the human game each time. I lost a beloved daughter who died accidentally at a very early age and was reunited with her about 25 years later when I encountered her in another body. We did not recognize each other at first and that created some problems. If I had known what I know now at the time she died, our reunion would have been much less confusing.”
1995: Scientology raided the homes of Larry Wollersheim and Bob Bingham, founders of FACTNet, this week. An excerpt from a Scientology press release: “Armed with a federal court order, United States Marshals today raided residences in Boulder and Longmont seizing computer software, hardware and other equipment and documents to halt copyright infringements of Scientology religious scriptures.” A poster summarized a report from The Rocky Mountain News: “‘Denver U.S. District Judge Lewis T. Babcock signed an order authorizing the raids.’ According to Wollersheim, ‘They took us off line’. A picture accompanying the article shows Warren McShane, ‘president of the Religious Technology Center in Los Angeles, carr[ying] documents from the apartment of … Wollersheim. At left is U.S. marshal Steve Bush.’ According to the RMN, he ‘charges that the church practices secret rituals in which officials claim they are aliens from outer space whose purpose is to take over the Earth.’ The raid started at 9a.m Tuesday morning and lasted for 8 hours, Scientology officials were present at the raid and took away material. A 7 hour raid was made in Niwot. Karin Pouw of the Co$ ‘questioned why Wollersheim’s bulletin board should have non-profit, tax-exempt status.’ Wollersheim hopes that he will be represented by the ACLU.”
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“At first I thought you were funnin’ me but I hearsayed it and you’re right.”
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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 August 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 December 1.
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 submitted July 30. Scientology’s reply due October 20.
— 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] Scientology party tents move from Clearwater to Los Angeles
[TWO years ago] Stan Lee* helps Scientology raise money from beyond the grave!
[THREE years ago] Here are Scientology’s new motions to force arbitration in the Valeska Paris case
[FOUR years ago] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 7: Pulling in objects with tractor beams
[FIVE years ago] Leah Remini podcast: Scientology’s atrocious ‘Fair Game’ campaign against Mike Rinder
[SIX years ago] If Scientology’s Ideal Org grand openings are on hold, fundraising steams ahead
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s new ‘STAND’ front unleashes bot army on Twitter — and gets zapped
[NINE years ago] Steven Mango, who appears in Theroux film, calls police to Scientology facility over assault
[TEN years ago] Stop worrying about ISIS and Syria and Iraq — Scientology’s got this, people
[ELEVEN years ago] Chris Shelton explains why Scientology is in a management death spiral
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: The All-Video Version!
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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 3,366 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,870 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,376 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,926 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,916 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,302 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,797 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,101 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,752 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,970 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,524 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,865 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,436 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,352 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,519 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,101 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,360 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,397 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,113 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,677 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,992 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,167 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,849 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,186 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,040 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,155 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,517 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,926 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,316 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,200 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,765 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,276 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,536 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,640 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 25, 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
