TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Big donors. Super Scientologists. Market mavericks. At one time the Feshbach brothers were legends in Scientology with a reputation for profiting on the misery of others. But more recently they’ve hit hard times. The latest setback is a bankruptcy with a surprising explanation. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Time itself is a basis of aberration. Dropping time out is the consideration of factory managers of production lines as ‘the faster something can be made the more you have of it.’ But look at this again. Something can be done so fast it isn’t done at all! The difference between a very fine camera and a cheap one is speed of manufacture. Cheap cameras don’t get their parts carefully machined of matched — they don’t fit together—they break, cease to work. A fine Run can be told by the lack of tool marks on the hidden places. A cheap gun’s inner bolt is a mess of scars. It isn’t smooth in operation. It didn’t take much time to make but it also jams and freezes up when you try to use it. Maybe you’ve heard of «hotter than a 2 dollar pistol». A 2 dollar pistol is «hot» because it’s so quickie made it usually blows up and blows off a hand. There is a point where SPEED is simply a cover for a cheap worthless product. Let us take a filthy room. A lazy housekeeper comes in and sweeps a few bits of dust under the carpet, leaves soot all over the windows and garbage on the mantle and says it’s clean. Somebody else not afraid of work spends an hour at it and leaves a really clean room.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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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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“Sex — it’s interesting, but aberrative value of sex compared to the aberrative value of eight is zero. Of course, what happens to somebody like Freud that concentrates on sex, is he really doesn’t have guts enough to just kick completely outside all agreements with his civilization. And for somebody in 1894 to have suddenly said, ‘God — well, I tell you about God, he’s a trick!’ They probably would have lynched him. They’ll probably lynch me yet, but anyway … For somebody to have kicked outside the confines of the church at that time would have been too adventurous to contemplate. It almost is now.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 2, 1953
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“A Court of Ethics is convened on MSM Ann Tidman. She did not come on duty till 0930. This violates Policy No. 10. Ann Tidman is to appear before the Court at 1930 in the Aft Lounge. Court Officer is Ens. Wayne Alkire.” — Ens. C. Cariotaki, T/3rd Mate, Convening Officer, December 2, 1970
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“Now there also exists bad angels/aliens outside this dimension. Beings and some people here on Earth are in telepathic/mind communication with them. Certainly Jews are more likely to have this special communication or spirit guide guidance you could say. Of course not all of them have it, it’s just that they are more likely to have this ability in their DNA which enables this special connection, hence the huge amount of super evil people here on Earth who have Jewish DNA/family backgrounds…In reference to Scientology, implants seem to be able to affect DNA according to OT8 Student briefing, so people could be getting abducted, which changes their DNA which then can be passed onto their children. So basically we could be dealing with bad aliens implanting people so that they have telepathic communication with them forever.”
1996: Jason Scott, victor in his case against the Cult Awareness Network, has changed attorneys. Scientologist Kendrick Moxon, who has attempted to liquidate CAN, was dismissed. In his place, Graham Berry. “Mr. Moxon’s replacement, as attorney for Jason Scott, is Graham E. Berry of the Los Angeles law firm of Musick, Peeler & Garrett. Mr. Berry has successfully represented a number of defendants against the Church of Scientology and its related entities. Recently, he replaced Faegre & Benson of Minneapolis as FACTNet, Inc.’s lead lawyer in Scientology’s internet related litigation against FACTNet, Lawrence Wollersheim, and Robert Penny, now pending in Federal District court, Denver, Colorado. In replacing Kendrick Moxon, Jason Scott said that he had not seen a penny of his judgment against the Cult Awareness Network and that he was now retaining Graham Berry to try and negotiate a settlement that would both put a reasonable sum of money in his pocket and perhaps enable the Cult Awareness Network to emerge from the bankruptcy it filed as a result of his judgment against it. In addition, Mr. Scott said that he was tired of being a Scientology poster-boy, and that he felt Kendrick Moxon had discarded him after he had obtained the judgment against the Cult Awareness Network. Now, said Mr. Scott, he merely wants to settle his claims against CAN, obtain some money, reunite with his wife and family and put this whole saga behind him.”
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“I’m an old punk who never had much time for hippies, but in retrospect I gotta admit they accomplished more than we punks did. We just had better fashion and got the music back to where it should be. I don’t know, but it always seems that after a certain point in any movement that the soldiers outlive their usefulness and the diplomats always take over.”
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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’s plans to take over the world, spelled out in black and white
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini fires back at Scientology’s attempt to gut her lawsuit
[THREE years ago] EXCLUSIVE: What the Danny Masterson jury didn’t hear — The Jane Doe 1 eyewitness
[FOUR years ago] Scientology honcho lectures Clearwater leaders on how he’s been mistreated
[FIVE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 8: The ghost private eyes
[SIX years ago] TWO MORE WOMEN COME FORWARD TO LAPD WITH DANNY MASTERSON RAPE ALLEGATIONS
[SEVEN years ago] How to finance a Scientology church in a city without any Scientologists
[EIGHT years ago] DOX: Scientology’s pricey Florida ‘spiritual mecca’ keeps up its value in latest tax records
[NINE years ago] You saw Bonny Elliott talk about her battle with Scientology; Now hear it from her husband
[TEN years ago] Hey, Legoland: A former Scientology youth explains what your money will buy
[ELEVEN years ago] Another Riffer-ific salvo from Scientology leader David Miscavige in our legal roundup
[TWELVE years ago] Here Comes Scientology, Here Comes Scientology, Right Down Hollywood Boulevard!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology Targeting Eagle Scouts In New Initiative
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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 3,465 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,969 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,475 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,025 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,015 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,401 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,896 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,200 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,851 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,069 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,623 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,964 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,535 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,451 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,618 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,200 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,459 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,496 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,211 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,776 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,091 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,266 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,948 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,285 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,138 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,254 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,616 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,027 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,415 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,299 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,864 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,375 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,635 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,739 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 2, 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, 20 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
