We’ve been talking to Sandy Holeman for years, and we should have introduced you to her long ago. And when she told us that she had attended the San Jose world premiere of ‘Brothers Broken’ last month, we decided to make up for lost time.
Imagine, at only 19, making the decision to leave behind everything to join a ship in the Mediterranean and serve the leader of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, aboard the yacht Apollo.
And then to be assigned the task of auditing Scientology’s books so it could get its IRS tax exempt status back! (Something that wouldn’t happen for another 20 years.)
Sandy Holeman was such a fixture on the Apollo, she ended up being featured in the original ‘What is Scientology’ book with Hubbard’s goofy photos shot in Trinidad and Tobago.
And part of the reason she was at the ‘Brothers Broken’ premiere was that she had actually gone to the same high school as Robbie and Geoff Levin, and had a photo of them performing at the school in a 1967 yearbook.
Yes, we certainly had a lot to talk about, and it’s good to finally get Sandy’s story out now.
Listen to or watch the podcast here.
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Technology Cocktail
“As you know, the basis of a reactive mind is creativeness done below the level of consciousness. The source of all engrams is the pc who creates a picture of the incident below his level of knowingness and recreates it into a “key-in”. He uses the engram to warn and restrain himself, but this as a solution to trouble is a faulty one. It might have cured trouble once but like all cures became itself a new trouble.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1960
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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
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“The only death, I think, that ever occurred in the eastern area occurred on the part of a boy who came into the New York Foundation to receive some Dianetic auditing. We had a psychiatrist there who was on duty, because the publisher there in New York said that that was the legal thing to have. And anybody who came in and looked a bit desperate or something of the sort would be a mental case and therefore should be interviewed by the psychiatrist. He went in, saw the psychiatrist, the psychiatrist said there was nothing could be done. The psychiatrist told the auditor in question that he wasn’t to audit him and they sent the boy back out of the Foundation, and he went home and killed himself. That happened in New York City. It was smoothed over very quietly but there’s no particular reason to smooth it over because we didn’t kill him. That was an interesting thing.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 2, 1956
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“ETHICS: The unauthorised use of a master key to enter any FINANCE Office, without the FINANCE personnel permission will be considered illegal entry. (Other than an emergency such as fire or water leakage.)” — Lt. L. Steinberg, 3rd Mate, September 2, 1970
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“I am not a fanatic of Admin. But it is a necessity so that one person can recognise and meet the counter effort of the environment. The definition of rationality. How is one person out there (OK, in some cases with 5 or 6 more people next to him) able to do that? They cannot. I refuse to have gone crazy before I kick the bucket this lifetime. This is my right. The right to my sanity. And I am gonna stay sane as long as I even whisper it to my team mates that Admin is the path. And the org board is the key. LRH didn’t spend his life over org boards for nothing. He wanted to teach us something. He said that was the best vehicle he could find. And I don’t just believe him, I have seen it work.”
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2000: Stacy Brooks posted a motion for protection from further depositions in Grady Ward’s ongoing copyright violation case. “Ms. Brooks testified exhaustively concerning her and the LMT’s financial dealings with Defendant, and answered every question put to her concerning assets, income, and expectancies of Defendant. Ms. Brooks refused to answer questions put to her which dealt with her own affairs or those of the LMT, except insofar as they related to the assets, income, and expectancies of Defendant. Well after Plaintiff exhausted Ms. Brooks’ knowledge of the assets, income, and expectancies of Defendant, the undersigned announced suspension of the deposition because the examination was abusive and interminably probed, for illegitimate purposes, matters beyond the lawful scope of examination.”
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“There’s all kinds of space opera before you get to OT III that can be found in ‘Have You Lived Before This Life?’ and ‘A History of Man’ etc. Ribisi is adhering to the code of Space Omertà.”
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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. Sentencing on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, first hearing set for Dec 4.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7. Next hearing set for Sept 26.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing Nov 6.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.
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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] After more failures, Valeska Paris asks court to summons Scientology leader David Miscavige
[TWO years ago] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 2: Achieving godhood
[THREE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 17: Louis Farrakhan
[FOUR years ago] A holiday tale for families ripped apart by Scientology’s heartless ‘disconnection’ policy
[FIVE years ago] FEDS CHARGE SCIENTOLOGISTS IN NEW YORK FOR $80 MILLION MEDICARE SCAM
[SIX years ago] Louis Theroux isn’t the first who tried to find Scientology’s positive side and failed
[SEVEN years ago] ‘Finally, I am myself’: Scientologists talk about Scientology in a video not made for the public
[EIGHT years ago] Why Scientology can never submit its drug rehab quackery to scientific review
[NINE years ago] Jonny Jacobsen reviews the new Scientology memoir by Hungarian writer Peter Bonyai
[TEN years ago] SCIENTOLOGY’S PRIVATE DANCER: A Story of Seduction, Intervention, and Betrayal
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Homophobia: Even the Church’s Token Gay Guy Was Disgusted
[TWELVE years ago] The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 13: Janet Reitman
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,140 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,655 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,205 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,195 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,076 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,380 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,251 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,356 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,803 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,145 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,711 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,630 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,797 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,379 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,640 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,676 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,392 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,956 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,271 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,446 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,997 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,128 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,466 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,321 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,440 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,796 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,099 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,205 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,603 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,479 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,044 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,557 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,811 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,920 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 2, 2023 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, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), 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
