TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We were fortunate again this year to have the expertise of an appellate attorney with several big Scientology cases we’re watching. We asked him for his thoughts about the shape of litigation this year. ALSO: Scientology doesn’t own the property it wants to develop in the UK? [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Some years ago I didn’t even know TRs existed, that they were anything special or could be broken down into anything. But in Phoenix, Arizona, when I was giving live demonstrations on closed circuit TV for students, one staff member came out very, very excited about a discovery he had made. His discovery was: «You acknowledge what the pc says!» There apparently wasn’t another auditor the length and breadth of the world who was doing that, so I decided I had better study this. It led into, over the years, a very deep analysis of the cycle of communication. Apparently nobody had ever analyzed this before but there is a very full analysis of cycles of communication now and the bulk of it is contained in the early Saint Hill lectures. You are now studying the near ultimate of this strata of auditing.” — 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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“Now, I realize you’re very happy with the game you are playing. Cheerful game, whatever the game is. Keeps you occupied so you won’t think of other things. Games such as ‘all garbage cans must be emptied.’ You know, high-level game. Something with nobility and future. And you get so you think there’s no other game, you know. ‘Got to keep those garbage cans emptied, man. If we empty them good enough and long enough, why then we’ll get to empty more garbage cans. And maybe someday we’ll work up to only emptying garbage cans and we won’t have to do anything else. Won’t have to think of anything else. And there we are, emptying garbage cans.’ If it weren’t for Scientology, 200 trillion years in the future, there you would be emptying those garbage cans. Well, maybe you like to empty garbage cans, so Scientology isn’t for you. It’s true there have got to be hewers of wood and drawers of water and emptiers of garbage cans. That’s a stable datum for this universe.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 30, 1961
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“PERSONNEL: Jeff Gray (Judy Ziff’s son, 9) is assigned as messenger HCO Div 1 Dept 2. His buddy and watches will be assigned by HCO. He is to attend school in HCI at the regular hours. Policy re children and their hats applies.” — The Commodore, December 30, 1970
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“There’s a story that’s been going around forever. Heber Jentzsch was taking part in some sort of interview thing with a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist, wanting to portray Heber as a faker, told Heber to exteriorize so everyone could see it happen. Heber, being the clever bloke he was, waited a moment or two, and then deadpanned, ‘Want me to do it again?’ The psychiatrist was, needless to say, left speechless.”
1996: Jeff Jacobsen posted an account of his trip to Scientology headquarters and prison camp, Golden Era Studios (aka Gold Base). “I went by an apartment complex that they use for berthing, and took a photo of the apartment and 3 buses in front. Then I went on to Golden Era Studios. I parked near the new studio and started taking photos. Immediately a guy on a motorcycle came up to me and asked what I was doing. I said I just wanted to take photos of the property and then I’d be leaving. He asked who I was and who I was working for and I refused to answer both questions. He called on his walkie-talkie ‘professional photographer coming up.’ As he drove off to get my license plate number, I went on to take photos of the ship and such. As I was about 20 yards from the gated entry, 2 guys came out and started taking pictures of me. One had a telephoto lens and the other a cheapy camera. I told them that I was just going to take a few photos and leave. They said they were worried about me because I wouldn’t reveal who I was or who I was working for. So I took their photo too. The one guy told me that the curb was their property line, which doesn’t leave much room for walking! I took shots of the sign (after the one guy finally got out of the way when I said I’d stay there as long as it took to get that photo), the ship, and the chapel. When we got to my car he took photos of the inside of the car. Then I opened the trunk to get out my video-camera. He called on his walkie- talkie ‘he’s taking out a video camera.’ Sheesh. He photographed the inside of the trunk of the car, and I told him I considered that a violation of my privacy. I told him I was only going to take about 30 seconds of the studio, which I did. I then thanked him for the conversation, shook hands, and drove off. They have many remote cameras along the metal fences. They have high-powered lights all along the fence. You can read Andre Tabayoyon’s affidavit for other unseen security systems. And on top of the hardware used, security guards instantly come out to question anyone who even stops near their property.”
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“When I hear Blubbard speak I can totally hear him trying to copy those old time comedians and storytellers like Will Rogers.”
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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. Appeal now fully briefed, waiting for 2nd Appellate District court to set a hearing date. Masterson has also submitted a habeas corpus petition.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Pleaded guilty on Nov 10 to a 17-year prison sentence (eligible for parole in two to three more years). Awaiting transfer to state prison.
— Aaron Matthes charged for SA of child under 12 years old: OT Scientologist facing multiple mandatory life sentences currently in Pinellas County Jail. Next pretrial court hearing set for Dec 16.
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 respondent’s brief is due January 12.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 15 days of arbitration completed, Val waiting for further word from the IJC.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal. Appeal fully briefed. Motion to replace Jane Does’ AI-tainted brief denied by court. Awaiting a court hearing date.
— 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 litigation 2024: A roundup of the cases we’ve been following all year
[TWO years ago] How Scientology just doubled-down on its Leah Remini ‘blood on your hands’ lie
[THREE years ago] PODCAST: Bruce Hines on what it was like to spy for Scientology
[FOUR years ago] INSIDER: David Miscavige has one more trick planned to disguise Scientology’s sad state
[FIVE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 6: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
[SIX years ago] BEST OF THE DECADE: Scientology watching’s biggest 2010s hits at the Underground Bunker
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s building projects & front groups under the microscope in 2018
[EIGHT years ago] While Scientology struggled, David Miscavige upped his game in 2017
[NINE years ago] Garcias file new motion asking judge to reject Scientology’s sham arbitration
[TEN years ago] What Scientology’s ‘social betterment’ front groups are really all about
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2014 in review: Our October surprise was all about the Duggans
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology’s 2013 in review: Courtroom antics reported live and on the spot!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Final Sunday Funnies of 2012: Scientology Targets the Rose Parade!
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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 3,493 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,997 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,503 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,053 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,043 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,429 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,924 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,228 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,879 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,097 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,651 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,992 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,563 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,479 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,646 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,228 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,487 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,239 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,804 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,119 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,294 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,976 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,313 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,166 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,282 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,644 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,055 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,443 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,327 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,892 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,403 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,663 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,767 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 30, 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
