TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A new #success story has a mother of four gushing about learning to be ‘controlled by a man’ regarding processes we first learned about because Tom Cruise had gone through it himself. And meanwhile, new photos of an impending showdown in England over a giant tent. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The manifestations niacin produces can be quite horrifying. Some of the somatics and manifestations the person may turn on are not just somatics in lots of cases, in my experience. I have seen a full blown case of skin cancer turn on and run out. So, a person can turn on skin cancer with this and if that should happen if niacin is continued the skin cancer has run out completely. Other things that may turn on are hives, flu symptoms, gastroenteritis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestine), aching bones, upset stomach or a fearful or terrified condition. There seems to be no limit to the variety of phenomena that may occur with niacin. If it is there to turn on by niacin it apparently will do so with niacin.” — 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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“I know it’s mean of me, it’s cabalist, it’s rabble-rousing for me to infer that the majesty of government is actually being used to further some foul, religious end in some way and to cause everybody to be dead. But I’m very interested in the fact that the Church of England, of all organizations, right down here in the form of a vicar (who, I think, has had to move since), this bird — I’m looking at a face or two here who were present in this — was being very censorious about our giving death lessons to young children. Story went around the world. What do you think this guy does every time he stands up there in the pulpit? He’s talking about going to heaven and all this sort of thing. He’s giving death lessons to little kids. Diana came home from school one day crying. She was going to a local school up here. She wanted to know if all this stuff about poor Christ was true. And I gave her the hot dope, and — well, as a matter of fact, I did. I was very reasonable about the whole thing. I said, ‘Native populaces have their religious beliefs, and wherever you are, you must remain tolerant of the current beliefs,’ and so forth, and she took this in. But it’s interesting that this bird down here is asserting how wrong it is, don’t you see, to give children death lessons while he himself is giving them death lessons. Only our death lessons are straight dope this is what happens with regard to death — but his are a darn lie.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 27, 1963
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“Congratulations on getting rid of the civilian engineers. They signed a no-claim and a confession of mutiny before leaving. It transpires that da Silva had a criminal record arm long. They have went. Now we should check for anything damaged by them.” — The Commodore, August 27, 1969
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“It is difficult for me to conceive of the possibility of harnessing spiritual teammates to always act in your best interest. As a longtime Book One and NED auditor I have run into some entities that ‘took over’ the beingness of someone in session and threatened to do very violent things to me and others. It just seems like the safer approach is to offload these entities entirely. Some may be trainable but others just seem too far gone.”
1997: Martin Hunt and Tilman Hausherr reported that Scientology is planning a large march on Berlin, to protest alleged human rights violations. “In a recent event, they said they need to ‘terminatedly handle’ the ‘situation’ in Germany by staging a mass crusade in Berlin, something like the Portland Crusade. The cult hopes to attract 25,000 people. The date is set for the day after the IAS Int Day on October 7th: October 8th, 1997. They also plan to flood the market with 6,000,000 Freedom Magazines. Ten thousand IAS members will be flying into Berlin from all over the world on October 6th to protest Germany’s suppression of Scientology. The trip package costs $5000 and each member will get a pin from DM, himself, at AOSH UK, before flying on to Berlin. Jentzsch, Travolta, Corea, Archer, the Head of NAACP, etc. will be coming.”
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“The Church of Scientology is as wrong as the Kims in North Korea. Some things just need to be stopped, you don’t even have to think about it, you feel it in your gut. I remember my father telling me about how my grandfather signed up to join the Lincoln Brigade to go fight Franco. I didn’t understand at first, but later I did.”
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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] He was in on some of Scientology’s biggest intel operations: And now he’s talking
[TWO years ago] Is this the lamest tabloid ‘Tom Cruise has left Scientology’ speculation ever?
[THREE years ago] PODCAST: Examining Scientology’s new marketing juggernaut, a ‘Wider Bridge’
[FOUR years ago] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 6: Resuscitating the recently deceased
[FIVE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 19: Wally Pope
[SIX years ago] Vote for the most startling statement on the ‘Scientology and the Aftermath’ finale
[SEVEN years ago] Hey, Colombia: Here’s the video of Scientology’s David Miscavige you’ve been looking for
[EIGHT years ago] How dishonest is tabloid media about Scientology? Here’s a pretty good example.
[NINE years ago] Scientology wastes no time taking over Florida sign after ‘disconnection’ billboard expires
[TEN years ago] ¡Ay, caramba! Nancy Cartwright has a whale of a time in Mexico to raise money for Scientology
[ELEVEN years ago] The Document: When Scientology canceled ‘Family Time’
[TWELVE years ago] The Dreaded “Joburg Sec Check”: Scientology Interrogations, Explained!
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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 3,368 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,872 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,378 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,928 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,918 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,304 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,799 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,103 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,754 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,972 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,526 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,867 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,438 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,354 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,521 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,103 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,362 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,399 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,115 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,679 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,994 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,169 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,851 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,188 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,041 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,157 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,519 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,928 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,318 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,202 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,767 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,278 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,538 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,642 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 27, 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
