TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Our helper who dives through old newspaper archives hit on another gem recently that we’ve told you about before, but we thought it was worth looking at it again for its great photos, which Scientology doesn’t want you to see. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“A thetan knows that if he could remember the exact place a thing had been generated, the exact time and the exact conditions, and the exact person who did it, he would then get a disappearance of the thing. Dating is the action the auditor takes to help the pc spot the exact time something happened. Locating is the action the auditor takes to help the pc spot the exact place something happened. By dating and locating, getting the exact time and place a specific thing happened, the pc is able to blow the mass and energy connected with the occurrence which has hung him up at that point.” — 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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“Several things need clarifying. And one is the length of the time track. And a lot of you have had considerable protest on the subject of the length of the time track. Because trillions of trillions of trillions of trillions of trillions of years, you know, T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T, you know and, ‘Oh, my God, ho, ho, ho! Oh, ho, ho dear! Getting so long. Da, dsa, dya, dya, dya, oh! Uh!’ You hear that around every once in a while. You probably felt like that yourself, you know. Well, I just have good news for you in that particular department. What I would choose to call ‘modern times’ extends from trillions – thirteen till now. That’s modern times. The stuff that’s more likely to influence the preclear in present time. Well, this is very germane.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 11, 1963
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“The Russian Cholera spread has altered our sailing schedule. The Eastern Med is crawling with Cholera bugs with red hammers and sickles stamped on them and certified to be lethal by the World Health Organization who needs a PR push to grab a quick buck from governments. It really isn’t dangerous but we’ll stay away from such areas. All ships except the Russian vessels carrying the disease are subject to Quarantine. Coming from a cholera port could get us one month quarantine which would mean no Couriers. So we just don’t risk being in a port that can be declared a cholera port or is one. Simple.” — The Commodore, September 11, 1970
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“My feeling regarding LRH at the moment is that he experienced far more difficulties with implementing Scientology here than he anticipated and is taking his time to destimulate before jumping into the morass again. I suspect that Justin Craig was a BT from LRH who wasn’t fully handled.”
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1998: “Dr. David Minkoff, the doctor who pronounced Lisa McPherson dead at Port Richey Hospital, has settled with the McPherson estate. The settlement is confidential, and no other details are available. The remaining defendants, including the Church of Scientology d/b/a Flag Land Base, remain in litigation.”
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“You would think a Scientology connection would be enough to kill any political campaign if it was really played up in the media.”
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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:
— 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 was filed June 3. Respondent briefs are due September 2.
— 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] Notorious Scientology doc David Minkoff added to lawsuit in Whitney Mills death
[TWO years ago] How Gwyneth Paltrow is helping out Scientology this 9-11
[THREE years ago] Scientology delivers superpowers, and here are the miracles to prove it!
[FOUR years ago] On 9/11, Scientology leader’s ‘wake-up call’ was supposed to expand the church
[FIVE years ago] SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Episode 3 leaks online, with bizarre kidnap attempt in broad daylight
[SIX years ago] After 3 years of Hurricane Leah: ‘Scientology today is light years ahead of what it was’
[SEVEN years ago] A visit from a private investigator has us wondering if Scientology is behind it
[EIGHT years ago] HURRICANE LEAH: ‘The defenses are crumbling. Scientology in Los Angeles is dying.’
[NINE years ago] How Scientology repackages itself and takes in the New York Police Department and NY schools
[TEN years ago] US Army catches Scientology ‘detox’ study rigging results, government document shows
[ELEVEN years ago] DOX: Scientology drug rehab center found deficient after a 2010 California death
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Slackers: How to Audit Away Your Passive-Aggressive, Dominating Deviancy!
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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 3,383 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,887 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,393 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,947 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,937 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,319 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,814 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,118 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,769 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,987 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,541 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,882 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,453 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,369 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,536 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,118 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,377 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,414 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,130 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,694 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,009 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,184 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,866 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,203 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,056 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,172 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,534 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,945 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,333 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,217 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,782 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,293 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,553 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,657 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 11, 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
