TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We assumed that # attorneys would go for the throat after a lawyer for the Danny Masterson victims admitted that bogus AI-generated citations had been left in a filing during the case’s current appeal, and they do not disappoint. We have the whole awful mess for you. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The SAINT HILL SPECIAL BRIEFING COURSE still roars on. This is the place where the auditor gets all the tech that has ever been issued below that level, this is where his sessions are video’d and polished, this is where he gets all his auditing to catch him up on his grades. These are the Dukes of the auditor elite, the Saint Hillers. One joins the clique only by hard work and great results.” — 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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“These memory recordings aren’t passed along from cell to cell. They could be, but they are not stored as electrical energy. You start examining this any way you want to and you will find that there isn’t an energy in the physical universe — at least which we know about — which has a small enough wavelength to store memory recordings. Oddly enough, this was a discovery I made in 1932 when I was in atomic and molecular physics at George Washington University. I made an exhaustive study of the matter. There aren’t wavelengths small enough; physical scientists would know that. The boys fooling around in medicine would not know it because they don’t know the laws of energy, and as a consequence they have postulated, as the best postulates which they can offer, that memories are stored in punched protein molecules. That is cute!” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 8, 1951
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“The cholera shot knocked quite a handful down. They’re mostly well again. Those not trained in Scientology possibly don’t realize one has to decide to be ill before one does. One can also decide to be well. Those off duty on MO lines are also off allowances and bonuses. Doc Robinson is cleaning up a lot of lifetime cycles. She’s a whiz at it. She’s looking for volunteers for a health food diet just sent in by a former Ship’s Rep.” — The Commodore, October 8, 1970
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“Who thinks LRH is Donald Trump? I think Trump has come in and is derailing the new world order program, the program to ‘make happy slaves of us all’ that is mentioned in the truth revealed briefing. He said he would come back as a misunderstood politician to save the day. Trump is a big thetan like LRH was.”
1997: Scientology held a celebrity-attended event to open a mission in Memphis, Tennessee this week, as reported by the AP. “Celebrity devotees Lisa Marie Presley and Isaac Hayes told a crowd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Church of Scientology’s Memphis mission to ignore media criticism of the religion also followed by John Travolta and Tom Cruise. ‘For me, it saved my life and my sanity many times,’ Presley said Saturday of the religion founded by the late L. Ron Hubbard in 1954. Hayes and the daughter of Elvis Presley financed the renovation of the church building. Before he became a Scientologist, Hayes was skeptical of the group described by critics as a cult, but joined after visiting one of the church’s celebrity centers in Los Angeles and asking a lot of ‘hard questions.’ ‘The most important thing is to find out for yourself,’ Hayes said.”
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“Not all of us are rich enough to afford cable and some of us think it’s a wasteland.”
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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 ham hock Grant Cardone lambasted for suggesting gov’t sent Hurricane Milton
[TWO years ago] Before the IAS gala returns to England, here are photos secretly taken at the 2012 event
[THREE years ago] PODCAST: Mirriam Francis is thriving since defying Scientology’s code of silence
[FOUR years ago] Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s cosmos: An ancient battlefield shot through with ‘psychs’
[FIVE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 13: Google and other tech titans
[SIX years ago] Scientologists will face trial after judge cites ‘sophisticated fraud’ scheme
[SEVEN years ago] With Scientology TV premiering a new ‘season’ tonight, David Miscavige is having a moment
[EIGHT years ago] Guelph quest: Scientology sets up temporary shop in Canadian town and faces stiff opposition
[NINE years ago] Atack: The forgotten history of disproving Scientology’s status as a “religion”
[TEN years ago] For some reason, news sites are keeping quiet about who found Cat White’s body. So here he is.
[ELEVEN years ago] EXCLUSIVE: Scientology didn’t want you to see this letter it sent to the San Francisco Chronicle
[TWELVE years ago] William S. Burroughs and Scientology: Setting the Record Straight
[THIRTEEN years ago] Your Thoughts on The Master: Who Was Freddie Quell?
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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 3,410 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,914 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,420 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,970 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,960 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,346 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,841 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,145 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,796 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,014 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,568 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,909 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,480 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,396 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,563 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,145 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,404 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,441 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,157 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,721 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,036 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,211 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,893 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,230 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,083 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,199 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,561 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,972 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,360 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,244 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,809 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,320 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,580 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,684 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 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, 1995-2024 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2024), 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
