TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Last night Leah Remini posted a more detailed remembrance of Mike Rinder, several days after her first posting following his Jan 5 death. It’s an emotional tribute, and we appreciate the glimpses Leah provides about her days before emerging publicly from Scientology in 2013. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“In the case of a psycho it is necessary to tailor the Introspection RD steps to the pc, instead of following it as a rote sequence at the risk of running unreading items on the pc. On any pc this is deadly. In a psycho it is pure dynamite. To do this the C/S would order the subjects of the RD steps assessed, then handled in order of large reads. The Auditor’s TR- 1 and metering must be such that he can make a meter read. The RD could be made to fail on this point by missing hot subjects.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1974
——————–
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.
——————–
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
——————–
“Orgs are in the very new, for this universe, business of setting people free. SPs will find all manner of reasons not to, for this is what they, with their own crimes, fear. Thus it follows that they cut dissem lines, corrupt tech, suppress and confuse orgs, persuade people to be inactive and resort to other shifts, all quite ‘reasonable’ and ‘logical’ as to why this must be the way it is; so be alert to this and go ahead and set people free. It’s done with org services well delivered, on-policy, with standard tech. So just do it, man, do it!” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 13, 1983
——————–
“Starboard Watch is assigned Non-Existence for slowness in coming to Fire Drill on 9 Jan 69 and treating it as a joke. The F/MAA is to discover who in Starboard considers drills a joke and throw the joker or jokers overboard, which is a very big joke in this cool weather and cold water.” — The Commodore, January 13, 1969
——————–
“Money is what guarantees your survival. With money you can buy a congressman, bribe judges, hire a hitman. Just because a government is run by criminals is no reason to walk away. Ethics needs to be put in. A government that was in ethics and did what was optimum across 8 dynamics would benefit everyone.”
——————–
1996: Jeff Jacobsen announced a protest against the harassment of cult critics, to be held March 9th in Clearwater, FL. “This demonstration will be a peaceful public protest against Scientology’s written and practiced policy of harassment of critics, and those it judges internally to be ‘suppressive persons,’ whether they are members or not. Many internet users know about the church’s attacks on the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology (a.r.s.) and against church critics there, such as attempting to rmgroup (close down) a.r.s., church attorneys sending threatening mail after critics post fair use quotes from Scientology scripture, private investigators being sent out to harass and ‘dead agent’ (smear the reputation of) critics, and many other actions. The demonstration is not attacking the religion of Scientology, but rather it is to protest and expose the church’s consistent and harmful use of harassment as a tool to silence its critics.”
——————–
“I’m still waiting for someone to do the obvious KFC shoop with the KSW and L Ron as the Colonel. Preferably on a bucket.”
——————–
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 brief due by December 23.
— ‘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 January 13, 2025.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud, awaiting sentencing.
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 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.
——————–
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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] You read about her encounter on a plane, now hear Tammy Synovec’s Scientology saga
[TWO years ago] Lisa Marie Presley dies at 54 after apparent cardiac arrest
[THREE years ago] Masterson’s victims, already on edge, have to deal with Danny’s aggressive process servers
[FOUR years ago] More social media gold: Post-riot, it’s clear that Scientology is the planet’s only hope!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology auditing, infiltrated and explained: The ‘Reckless Ben’ team’s 4th video
[SIX years ago] How businesses that run on Scientology principles find Scientologist employees
[SEVEN years ago] Ten years ago, all hell broke loose for Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology
[EIGHT years ago] DONE DEAL: Billboard contract signed for site near Scientology’s Los Angeles ‘Big Blue’ HQ
[NINE years ago] DOX: Government disclosure shows extent of Scientology’s reliance on cheap foreign labor
[TEN years ago] Claire Headley explains her amazing Scientology experience as Tom Cruise’s ‘examiner’
[ELEVEN years ago] VIDEO: Scientology’s New Year’s Eve celebration — ‘2014 belongs to us’
[TWELVE years ago] Did the Headleys And Their Lawsuit Torpedo the FBI Investigation of Scientology?
——————–
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 3,143 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,638 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,153 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,703 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,693 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,079 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,574 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,878 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,749 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,301 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,642 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,209 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,128 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,296 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,878 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,138 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,174 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,890 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,454 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,769 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,944 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,626 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,963 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,817 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,932 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,294 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,703 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,101 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,977 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,542 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,053 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,309 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,417 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on January 13, 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
