TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: She had done Scientology’s dirty work for years, following people the church considered its enemies, and even stealing their trash. But then she had a moment of clarity and changed her mind, and spent the next four years spying on Scientology. Until, that is, they caught her. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“Niacin’s biochemical reaction is my own private, personal discovery. In the middle of the 1950s, I was doing work on radiation and I worked out that it must be niacin that operated on radiation. I was recently told by a doctor that the Dianazene formula of that time is remarkably workable today. Niacin runs out radiation. It will often cause a very hot flush and prickly, itchy skin which can last up to an hour or longer. It may also bring on chills or make a person feel tired.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1979
——————–
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
——————–
“I toured around the empty ship and it looked lonesome. The galley was kept going by deckhands. Vixie had some trouble towing the ship out to anchor but made it. (The Commodores Messenger couldn’t find the Main Engine throttles as the engineers evidently took them on liberty.) Six new X trainees came aboard and were quickly trained up and fired by Dimples the man-eating shark — at least she said they had been fired. All in all it was quiet and restful.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 26, 1971
——————–
“The Con of All Hands, the Navigator and the forward well deck fender tenders are assigned a Condition of Non Existence for approaching a dock too fast at too steep an angle and not correcting or recovering from an obvious pilot error and not buffering it with fenders. This resulted in a small dent and a crack in the hull. They may not have any liberty in this port. The area crack is to be welded and a small plate placed over it.” — The Commodore, August 26, 1969
——————–
“Prior to the writing of the American Constitution it was known that true governments can oppress true citizens along with the open and ongoing, more inclusive and integral, development and advancement of what is true, truth, and evermore truthful. KSW is part of a more Conscientiously Integral Science advancing in our society.”
——————–
1996: The Associated Press carried a story on August 28th concerning U.S. presidential candidate Bob Dole and his staff’s desire not to have him associated with Scientology. “As the vacationing Dole made his way down Santa Barbara’s main drag, heading for dinner Monday at Joe’s Cafe, he and a crush of autograph seekers drew near a building prominently labeled ‘Dianetics — Church of Scientology Center.’ Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a top policy adviser to the Dole campaign, eyed the surrounding horde of news photographers and tugged at press secretary Nelson Warfield, pointing out the Scientology center. Its storefront sign would likely land in the photographers’ frames if Dole headed in a straight line down the sidewalk. ‘You don’t want him in front of there. Cross him over there, then cross him back,’ Rumsfeld instructed while gesturing across the street.”
——————–
“Hubbard was making the whole thing up as he went along, and the ‘tech’ is nothing but mumbo jumbo. Until these people realize that LRH was the flim flam man, they will never be truly free.”
——————–
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 August 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 December 1.
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 appeal brief was filed June 3. Respondent briefs are due September 2.
— 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 Does’ response to Scientology’s appeal brief submitted July 30. Scientology’s reply due October 20.
— 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.
——————–
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] The Hubbard tapes: When Scientology was all about reeling you in
[TWO years ago] PODCAST: Jonny Jacobsen, our man in Paris, was on Scientology’s abuses before most
[THREE years ago] Andreas Heldal-Lund, who stared down Scientology, now faces his own mortality
[FOUR years ago] Gerry Armstrong hits back at apologist journal for questioning Hubbard ‘pinks & greys’ letter
[FIVE years ago] Ahead of next week’s hearing, Danny Masterson’s accusers blast his attacks on their lawsuit
[SIX years ago] Tonight, Leah Remini ends ‘Scientology and the Aftermath’ with a hard look at Danny Masterson
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology keeps pushing for ‘Ideal Orgs’ in places where it’s pure madness
[EIGHT years ago] DOX: The FBI’s 2008 investigation of Anonymous and its attacks on the Church of Scientology
[NINE years ago] Is the Enquirer’s ‘exclusive’ on Scientology’s ‘hooker orgy’ a David Miscavige backfire?
[TEN years ago] So much for tabloid rumors: Tom Cruise visits Scientology’s ‘Ideal Org’ while he’s in Bogotá
[ELEVEN years ago] More trouble for Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon — this time in Florida
[TWELVE years ago] What Motivated L. Ron Hubbard? Historian Jon Atack Follows the Clues
——————–
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 3,367 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,871 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,377 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,927 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,917 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,303 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,798 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,102 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,753 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,971 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,525 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,866 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,437 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,353 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,520 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,102 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,361 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,398 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,114 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,678 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,993 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,168 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,850 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,187 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,041 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,156 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,518 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,927 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,317 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,201 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,766 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,277 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,537 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,641 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on August 26, 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
