TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We started our year-end review ten days ago by noting how Scientology’s relationship with the White House is one of the big stories we’ve been covering this year. It made number 6 on our top 20 stories of the year, as you’ll see. So let’s get to our year-end party! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The whole point here is: if your TRs were good enough you would be known as a great auditor without doing a single thing. I’m not advising that you shouldn’t do another single thing but I want to point up that just this factor alone — good TRs — makes people feel better. It becomes safe to talk to the auditor and they become willing to talk to the auditor with confidence they will be listened to and acknowledged. It comes down to the definition of ‘in session:’ interested in own case and willing to talk to the auditor. That definition of in session is such that I can C/S and spot, even from fragmentary worksheets, whether or not the pc is in session. When I am first C/Sing on a new line that is really all I look for. If it’s out, I mend it. When I’ve got it mended then we can begin to get someplace.” — 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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“Sixty-three was the year I had to do all the research work. I’ve sacrificed everything now. The other day, the other day, not too long ago, I was outside taking a look at the dawn and it was a great relief. The Van Allen belt is nice and warm and you can sit in the Van Allen belt amongst the radiation that’s supposed to be so harmful. It’s nice that it’s there. It holds in the warm air, you know, and you can put out your beams and warm your hands. And rain clouds are absolutely beautiful there. They’re almost as good as a drink of Coca-Cola. And you can get into the ice crystals of a rain cloud and it’s very nice. It’s very nice. It’s cooling, refreshing, you know, like taking a cold shower on a hot summer day. And all of a sudden you’re not stricken by these fantastic temperature reactions. See, you’re in a body, you see, you get a temperature difference of ten degrees up or ten degrees down and you’re kind of miserable, you know? And outside, you get a temperature differential of two hundred degrees centigrade up and two hundred degrees centigrade down — it makes a nice change!” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 31, 1963
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“DIV VI: Win! Al Bornstein now head of Div VI has turned out the basic first step of a PR division — its different publics — and issued the test FSO on them. What a nice thing to see. Standard Div actions!” — The Commodore, December 31, 1970
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“E=mc2 is a flawed idea. Yes, it’s true that matter is really just solidified energy. But what’s been left out is the thetan. The thetan, who has no location in time and space, adds and subtracts energy and mass at will to the Universe as he sees fit. If, as an OT, I see a bus about to careen into a bunch of school kids and I decide to change the trajectory of the bus to spare the lives of these children, where does the energy to do that come from? Me! I create it from ‘whole cloth’ and add it to this universe.”
1997: Television show 60 Minutes aired a piece on the demise of the Cult Awareness Network due to Scientology this week. James Cherry provided a transcript. Some excerpts: LESLEY STAHL: There was a time, if you were worried about your son or daughter being in a cult, you could get help from a small, nonprofit organization called the Cult Awareness Network, or CAN, for twenty years the nation’s best-known resource for information and advice about groups it considered dangerous. Among them was Scientology, a church not known for turning the other cheek. And while Scientology did attack its enemies in the past, Church officials say they don’t do that any more. But recently, the Cult Awareness Network was forced into bankruptcy, and its leaders blame the Church of Scientology. MOXON: I don’t know if she’s a topless dancer or not. STAHL: Did you tell our producer that you didn’t believe that was true? MOXON: I told your producer that I thought, looking at Cynthia Kisser, it seemed improbable that she could have been a topless dancer because of the way she looks. STAHL: Yet despite his own view and the evidence from Investigator Shomers, Moxon, also a minister in the Church, persisted in bringing it up. MOXON: I mean, we’ve got a declaration already indicating that she had been a topless dancer. STAHL: I can’t believe you’re continuing to talk about her being a topless dancer! STAHL: Were you a topless dancer? KISSER: No, and later the person that they claimed told them that retracted it…issued a retraction saying that it wasn’t true. KISSER: I got hit with twelve suits in one week! I would open the door, a process server would give me a suit. They were suing us all over the country, sometimes simultaneously. STAHL: In all, CAN was hit with more than fifty lawsuits. Even though most of the suits were eventually dropped or won by CAN, she says the cost of defending them, nearly two million dollars, drove CAN to the brink of bankruptcy. JENTZSCH: I would say that the individuals who were involved definitely wanted to do something about CAN. What are you going to do when they’re trying to destroy you? Look, if you’re a Jew, no Jew is going to cry about the fact that the Nazi party is gone. If you’re an African American, no one is going to cry that the KKK is gone. I’m not crying because CAN is gone, OK? They were a vicious group — STAHL: My question is, would you concede that at least part of what happened with those lawsuits was a deliberate attempt to harass and intimidate them into silence? JENTZSCH: No, absolutely not — STAHL: Well, you’re not going to make us believe that there were these thirty or fifty lawsuits that all sprang up, you know, just… serendipitously. MOXON: They didn’t spring up serendipitously. A number of Scientologists came to our firm and said, ‘I’m being discriminated against by CAN.’ We have these complaints in the computer. We deny the Church’s accusation that we have a conflict of interest in this story, because producer Richard Bonin has an aunt who’s a lawyer involved in litigation against the Church. Though that’s true, our producer’s aunt Leta had nothing to do with our story.”
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“Well Sherbert, it doesn’t look like this tired ole punk is going to make it to midnight, so a ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ to you and the the rest of the Degenerates and a ‘Big, Big Love’.”
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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’s 2024: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[TWO years ago] Scientology’s 2023: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s 2022: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s 2021: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology’s 2020: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[SIX years ago] Scientology’s 2019: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2018: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s 2017: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[NINE years ago] LEAKED AUDIO — Scientology’s New Year’s event 2017: ‘Welcome to Scientology forever!’
[TEN years ago] Scientology’s 2015: Another year is in the books at the Underground Bunker!
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2014 in review: So long to another great year in the Bunker!
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology’s 2013 in review: The Super Power-ful finish to an eventful year
[THIRTEEN years ago] John Sweeney and Marc Headley Visit Scientology’s Odd New Mexico Vault
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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 3,494 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,998 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,504 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,054 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,044 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,430 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,925 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,229 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,880 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,098 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,652 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,993 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,564 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,480 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,647 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,229 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,488 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,240 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,805 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,120 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,295 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,977 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,314 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,167 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,283 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,645 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,056 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,444 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,328 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,893 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,404 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,664 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,768 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 31, 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
