TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: By 1959, L. Ron Hubbard was feeling the pressure. He and Scientology were under investigation in the US, and he was increasingly concerned about breakaway groups. So that year he began to write down policies reflecting his increasing paranoia. The result is fascinating. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“When dating anything you are using a system of measurement of time. There are various systems for measuring time and as time is basically a postulate or consideration there is no absolute system for measuring time. Time can be measured in terms of years ago. It can be measured by year, month and day (1918 AD, January 1st). These two systems are applicable to this planet, as the term “year” is the time it takes this planet to complete an orbit around the sun. In larger whole track dates different systems were used. The whole point is to use the system the pc is using, because the whole point of dating is to blow a past time that the pc is stuck in. And the pc will very often use the dating system of the time period he is stuck in. It doesn’t matter what system of time measurement the pc uses. It is important that the auditor accepts and uses the system the pc is using and doesn’t try to change it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1979
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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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“All right now, let’s look at an engram. An engram isn’t very serious if somebody walks up and steps on your toes and says, ‘You skunk.’ That’s not very serious because there’s not very much chaos there into which to put a stable datum. But if this individual walked up to you from behind, slugged you over the head, kicked you in the ribs, wound you up in the hospital, but somewhere in the midst of all of this he said, ‘You’re a skunk,’ you’d probably start to smell like one.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 14, 1955
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“There’s a need for the FEBC like the Sahara needs water. Public demand is high. The contemporary staffs don’t really know how to give service or handle. Well, we’ll make it anyway. A lot of good guys out there. At least we know exactly where we’re going and exactly what to do to get there. Maybe we’re the only ones on Earth who do.” — The Commodore, September 14, 1970
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“All of Ayn Rand’s books are awesome.”
2001: In the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC this week, Scientology has participated in services in memory of the victims. The St. Petersburg Times reported the appearance of the phone number on Fox News. “Television viewers who turned to Fox News on Friday for coverage of the terrorist attack also saw a message scrolling across the bottom of their screens – National Mental Health Assistance: 800-FOR-TRUTH. Unknown to the cable news channel, the phone number connects to a Church of Scientology center in Los Angeles, where Scientologists were manning the phones. ‘It was entirely a good-faith attempt to help people,’ said Ben Shaw, a Clearwater Scientology official. Church spokesman Kurt Weiland in Los Angeles said the phrase ‘National Mental Health Assistance’ must have come from Fox. ‘I can assure you it didn’t come from us,’ he said. Scientology firmly opposes psychiatry, and church members campaign to eliminate psychiatric practices in mental health. Fox News spokesman Robert Zimmerman said the station received an e-mail about the hotline and aired the number without checking it. ‘The bottom line is we (messed) up,’ Zimmerman said. ‘Unfortunately, it didn’t get vetted. We apologize.’ The hotline information ran for several hours – once appearing below the image of President Bush and his wife, Laura, at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance in Washington. The news channel yanked the information Friday after learning of the Scientology connection, Zimmerman said. Michael Faenza, president and chief executive of the National Mental Health Association, called the hotline number ‘outrageous’ and said Scientology ‘is the last organization’ emotionally vulnerable people should call. ‘They just leave a wake of destruction in the realm of mental health,’ he said. The mental health association, based in Virginia, is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. ‘This is a very important and sensitive time,’ Faenza said. ‘I’d urge the Church of Scientology to stay out of the mental health side of what happens in the country now.’ In some cases, callers were referred by the four Scientologists answering the phones to agencies compiling information about missing people. In other cases, callers were directed to agencies taking collections, Weiland said. If people called crying and upset, he said, they were told they could visit a Scientology center. When a reporter called, a volunteer said free copies of a booklet, Solutions for a Dangerous Environment, were available to callers. The booklet is a Scientology publication based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, although that was not mentioned in the phone call.”
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“A question that has crossed my mind in the past is, if someone cynically creates a religion/spiritual movement for their own personal gain, but its followers truly believe in it, does one negate the other?”
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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 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:
— 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 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.
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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 is the key to happiness! Just ask this guy.
[TWO years ago] Greek church calls BS on Scientology: Why doesn’t this happen more often?
[THREE years ago] Now with no restrictions: Our podcast series on the Scientology docuseries that never aired
[FOUR years ago] Danny Masterson’s civil attorney adds Prince Andrew as a client and Twitter loses its mind
[FIVE years ago] SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS, Episode 4: Tom Cruise’s dirty plot against publicist Pat Kingsley
[SIX years ago] Mark ‘Wise Beard Man’ Bunker: His Scientology-protesting past and political future
[SEVEN years ago] Jesse Prince, witness to Scientology’s ugliest behavior, spills it all in new book
[EIGHT years ago] Is Ohio’s newest legislator a Scientologist? ‘I had him on the cans,’ says our man in Cincy
[NINE years ago] DRONE FLYOVER: Scientology’s secret base where David Miscavige keeps wife out of sight
[TEN years ago] Another rare Scientology video leaks, and this time we see its long vanished president
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Smile while you write that check, pardner!
[TWELVE years ago] THE TEXAS POST-GAME REPORT: Scientology, Monique Rathbun, and Judge Dib Waldrip
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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 3,386 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,890 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,396 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,946 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,936 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,322 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,817 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,121 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,772 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,990 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,544 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,885 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,456 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,372 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,539 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,121 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,380 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,417 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,133 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,697 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,012 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,187 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,869 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,206 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,059 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,175 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,537 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,948 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,336 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,220 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,785 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,296 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,556 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,660 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 14, 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
