TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: No joke, Scientology actually has a channel on Spotify. What could possibly be on it? L. Ron Hubbard’s epic tunes? The Apollo All Stars? Edgar Winter classics? Chaka Khan? No such luck. But still, Geoff Levin writes, it fulfilled everything he’s seen about music and the church. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“False TA is in the physical universe. It is something that really exists. When you start checking for meter reads you are violating this law. It is in the physical universe not the pc’s think or bank. It can badly mess up a case to not find the cause of false TAs and then carry on with auditing. Understanding the meter and what the meter reads on and understanding false TA and what causes it are the basics behind finding a false TA and remedying it so that the pc can happily continue on with auditing and advance.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1977
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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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“There are lines of force in a galaxy. And these cookies had actually found how to detach matter along a line of force. And so they’d set a Magellanic Cloud loose along one of these lines of force and it would swing out of balance and move on out and engulf a system, and then swinging out further would engulf another system, and would spend an awful long time hanging around the system as it went by, you see? And frankly, these clouds would get to systems which they didn’t come near for maybe thousands and thousands of years. They didn’t direct these clouds intimately, they just set them loose and they would drift out through space. And these wise professors — I’ve never trusted a professor since — would sit around stroking their diplomas saying, ‘Well, this is the natural consequences of the disintegration of a galaxy. A certain period in the life of a galaxy, the Magellanic radioactive masses at the interior of the hub begin to disperse themselves out toward the rim. And this is known as the Keplin-Spreplin law and the Booplum-Booplin law, and the calculations are M to the gup-gup squared or the rippety-rip-bop to the tenth power.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, May 23, 1963
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“Psychology and psychiatry have been traced as the direct authors of Fascism and today propound the Fascist message of violence and death across the world. This tangled web is being laid out like a carpet from documents being unearthed from the Nuremberg trials of war criminals and other sources. We always knew they were bad. We did not know Psychologists and Psychiatrists were the men behind Hitler and the gas chambers. By documents unearthed there is no difference whatever between psychiatric doctrine now being voiced in the East and West and Nazi doctrines so abhorred by all the world. ‘Racial Purity,’ ‘eradicated minorities,’ ‘genes,’ the lot. So it all begins to fit into a pattern. We had to be fought, for the appearance of real mental tech on the planet spelled the end of Fascist usage of false mental tech to politically dominate the world. Until we came along they were winning very nicely. So that’s one reason it’s so important to establish Scientology in Europe and England. And we’re making it.” — The Commodore, May 23, 1971
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“There was a guy who said he was audited and found out he was Jesus Christ. I was new in Scientology and we are not supposed to evaluate or invalidate, but he was telling me that the marks of the crucifixion were on his hands. And then he flashes and says, ‘You were one of the criminals on the cross, and the other criminal was LRH and on those crosses we decided to salvage this planet.’ Well I couldn’t get that out of my head and I was afraid to report him because he was in data division and I had no idea what would happen if I did report him. So I took the chance in session to go back and and look, and I stepped in both criminals and knew I had nothing to do with them. But then I went into Christ’s body and it felt like some huge piece of concrete was slamming up against me — not me a body but me a spirit, and that is a lot different feeling. So my cognition was they were trying to stop Christ from finishing what he wanted to do, some kind of spiritual awaking or something. And this UFO was cloaked in gold and I saw they were radiating something out to the crowds, which at first made me think that Christ was sending some kind of light, spiritual awareness of some kind. But no, that UFO was implanting the area. So I yelled, it was a trick.”
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1999: The Sunday News in Lancaster, Pennsylvania reported that a Scientologist has been arrested in the murder of a business partner who he had introduced to Scientology and insurance schemes. “He had parked his blue Mercedes in the driveway. The garage door stood open. If 33-year-old David R. Artz had any premonition of danger, he took no obvious precautions. The killer or killers walked into his newly purchased home in Coral Springs, Fla. They tied him to a chair. And, with a flurry of gunshots, they took the Manheim Township businessman’s life. The murder of the president and owner of Conestoga Fuels Inc. took place in February 1985, and in the ensuing years it has appeared increasingly unlikely that either of the two men charged with setting up the killing would be held accountable. One, former Lancastrian Samuel G. Lombardo, died in Florida in 1994. The other, John W. Kramer Sr., formerly of York, moved to Costa Rica. But now, 14 years after the crime, immigration agents in Atlanta, Ga., have arrested Kramer as he re-entered the country for medical care. The attorney declined to discuss any matters concerning Kramer, other than the extradition proceedings. Court documents, however, describe him as a practitioner of Scientology, known as ‘Father John,’ who converted Artz to the religion and used its doctrines to influence his business decisions. Kramer and Lombardo had run similar insurance schemes, most unsuccessful, against other business owners during the previous two decades, Florida prosecutors charged in 1990.”
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“I love churches, cathedrals, mosques and I’ve visited more than few of them. I just don’t like what’s being taught in a lot of them.”
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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 June 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 June 16.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Sentenced to 7 years in prison.
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. 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] The mostly forgotten ship that started one of the biggest Scientology legal cases of all time
[TWO years ago] Straight Up and Vertical: When is this jury going to deliver a result?
[THREE years ago] How I know your Scientology files weren’t confidential: It was my job to dig through them
[FOUR years ago] How Scientology can make a tragedy worse, and then even worse again
[FIVE years ago] AUDIO: Scientology recruiter says wrecked families small price for salvaged planet
[SIX years ago] Scientology tries stealthy opening of new drug rehab in Canada and gets stuffed
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology asks court to freeze Laura D’s forced-abortion case for a long-shot appeal
[EIGHT years ago] When a Scientology ‘body-router’ turns out to be the father you haven’t seen in 7 years
[NINE years ago] Scientology’s newest attack on Ron Miscavige: Could his son David be any whinier?
[TEN years ago] Jon Atack: Stop making excuses for L. Ron Hubbard and the Snow White Program!
[ELEVEN years ago] Richard Teague speaks out after his horrific ordeal at a Scientology rehab center
[TWELVE years ago] A Womb With a View: More Dianetics Just-So Stories
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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 3,273 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,768 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,283 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,833 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,823 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,209 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,704 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,008 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,877 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,431 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,772 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,339 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,258 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,426 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,008 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,267 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,304 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,020 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,584 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,899 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,074 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,756 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,093 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,947 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,062 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,424 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,833 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,229 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,107 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,672 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,183 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,439 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,547 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 23, 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
