TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: As a Scientology OT 8, mega-donor Tom Cummins can resist invader forces trying to erase his memory during his ‘between-lives’ period, and will remember who he is when he starts out his next lifetime. But what about his stacks of cash? It turns out he’s thought deeply about that! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“There are two separate drills for dating and locating, and which is used depends upon pc ability to find and give the data. The first drill given is where the pc volunteers or gives the data. The second drill is where the auditor establishes all the data by metering. As with all processing, the pc’s ability increases as you go along, and the auditor must be alert for this and change from meter dating and meter locating to accepting and taking the pc’s data. It can also happen that a pc who was able to find and give the data may run into something particularly heavy and now need assistance from the auditor. The rule is: NEVER RESORT TO THE METER IF THE PC CAN FIND AND GIVE THE DATA, AND NEVER LET A PC STRUGGLE IF HE CAN’T FIND THE DATA. AND NEVER, NEVER USE THE METER TO CHALLENGE, ‘CORRECT’ OR INVALIDATE THE PC’S DATA.” — 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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“The fellow wants to get out of the woods and there are two trails. And one trail lies much deeper into the woods and the other trail goes out on to the plain. And all you have to do is put up a sign at the crossroads and point to that trail which goes deeper into the woods and say, ‘This way lies freedom,’ you see, and you’ve promptly trapped a lot of people.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 18, 1963
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“I was looking over Base Order No. 29 from 1967. There is no reason really it had to suffer such radical changes except that it was never checksheeted and packed for posts. The large amount of know-how in Flag Orders was never fully mimeo filed and related to posts by checksheet. This also solved a long standing mystery. The officer corps of some professional armies is terrible while their enlisted ranks up to non-comm are excellent. Germany lost 2 wars because of this. The US armed forces are remarkable examples of this. Suddenly dawn broke. The duties of everyone are well and totally written up and published right up to the top non-comm. Officers from low to high never had to learn any of this, even built up contempt for such knowledge and had no such plain texts for their own duties. I’ve seen it in commercial companies and elsewhere for a long time. Never could figure out why leadershp was so poor even for excellent troops or workers. Well, there it is. Hats, texts training in the lower echelon and almost none in the upper.” — The Commodore, September 18, 1970
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“If you do the bridge your not going to be told about secret weather control programs, about vaccines brain damaging people, about the secret space program, about secret depopulation programs (programs run to kill us), about underground bases being built by the new world order in case of a cataclysm (they have literally built underground towns with all this advanced tech) and they fly around in UFOs which they keep secret from us, i mean there is just so much going on that we are not told about in scientology or in mainstream life, but at least scientology makes us smarter so that then we can investigate and find out about all these things.”
1998: The Globe Staff published a column this week on Earle Cooley, a lawyer and Scientologist who is also Chairman of the Board for Boston University. “For over a decade, Cooley has zealously defended the interests of the Church of Scientology, which a 1991 Time magazine cover story called ‘a hugely profitable global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner.’ Cooley says that his alliance with Scientology has never colored his work for what was once one of America’s great Methodist institutions. But whenever Cooley and I discussed the excesses committed by the church – the harassment of a journalist, for instance – he said he had no knowledge of illegal activities. I contend that Cooley is more than ‘just’ a lawyer for Scientology. I say he is deeply allied with one of the great anti-intellectual movements of our time, and his activities are wildly incompatible with his status as a top official of a major American university.”
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“One of the few things I agree with the Scientologists on is that the whole Vistaril thing is weak. Vistaril, a/k/a hydroxyzine, is one theetie-wheetie drug. You need to take a whole bottle of this shit to even remotely get a buzz. Vistaril has never been considered a true psych drug. I know it is an antihistamine, anti itching agent. That’s how I first encountered it. The point is that us trying to say it’s a psych dug like Valium is absurd.”
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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] Joe Reaiche, 1958-2024: Former Aussie rugby pro turned Scientology whistleblower
[TWO years ago] ‘Ellen’ from the Scientology ‘Day Care from Hell’ story comes forward
[THREE years ago] Bombshells in Danny Masterson case: Grand jury testimony, and evidence against Scientology
[FOUR years ago] VIDEO: Scientology turns to rock ‘n’ roll to save its soul, and you’re invited!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology celeb Danny Masterson to be arraigned today for raping three women
[SIX years ago] Scientologists facing felonies try ‘sovereign citizen’ gambit in tense L. A. court hearing
[SEVEN years ago] Giving Scientology TV a run for its money — it’s the premiere of the Bunker network!
[EIGHT years ago] Moss wins Emmy for portraying totalitarian cult victim and doesn’t care what you think about it
[NINE years ago] In the wake of raids, Scientology’s sneaky consulting front shrinks markedly in Russia
[TEN years ago] Scientology about to throw its Harlem party — and we need your eyes and ears!
[ELEVEN years ago] RATHBUN SUIT: Scientology’s last swipe in its anti-SLAPP appeal before hearing next week
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology’s “Bridge:” Claire Headley Gets Us to CLEAR!
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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 3,390 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,894 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,400 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,950 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,940 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,326 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,821 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,125 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,776 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,994 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,548 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,889 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,460 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,376 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,543 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,125 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,384 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,421 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,137 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,701 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,016 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,191 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,873 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,210 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,063 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,179 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,541 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,952 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,340 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,224 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,789 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,300 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,560 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,664 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 18, 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
