TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Clearwater’s city council doesn’t want Scientology’s richest donor putting a branch of her existing Tampa Bay glass art museum in their library, so they decided this week to try again for a better tenant. And former vice mayor Mark ‘Wise Beard Man’ Bunker has a suggestion! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Point. Distance? What galaxy? What star? What planet? What country? What city? What street? What house? Position on street? What room? Distance from front of house? Where in the room? How far from each wall? How far off the wall? How far from the ceiling?” — 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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“I remember one space academy, I think the curriculum was two thousand years. I was a student there.” — L. Ron Hubbard, September 19, 1961
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“The ‘letters to Ron’ line was backlogged in being answered in some orgs and the backlogs have been called to Flag for answering. LRH Comm has just given me a verbal report on these letters from various parts of the world. The line is very very theta, very friendly, very open. It has improved even over what it was a year ago. There are no critical comments. There is only great appreciation. This means that my own public image is high and has not been injured by last summer’s events. The orgs only injured themselves somewhat with crush sell and checks. It also means our tech is better. It does NOT mean our org image and friendliness must not be improved. It MUST be. It is very nice to hear from all these good people. I love them too. That’s why I work as hard as I do. It becomes more and more evident in this declining world that Man, above all things, knows he needs a friend.” — The Commodore, September 19, 1971
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“I charge $620 for a Life/auditing repair. That would include repairing TRs.”
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1999: The Knoxville News-Sentinel published an article this week on a Tennessee dentist who committed insurance fraud as part of his Scientology management training. “A retired Campbell County dentist admitted Friday in federal court to defrauding the Medicaid/TennCare program and private dental insurance plans out of more than $200,000 over a five-year period. The illegal activity began in 1992, the same year Dr. Richard E. Brittain Jr., 44, started awarding his staff free cruises or cash bonuses if they met revenue goals, according to plea agreement papers. In 1992, Brittain attended a management training program in California conducted by the Church of Scientology, the plea papers stated. The church’s members also came to LaFollette to train Brittain’s staff to ‘boom the practice’ by offering incentives to them to increase monthly billing. As part of the program, Brittain set revenue goals for each month, according to the papers. If the staff met those goals within a three-month period, the dentist would award them with free cruises or with$1,000 cash bonuses. ‘After the implementation of the financial incentive program, monthly revenues increased by 100 percent,’ the papers stated. Brittain, who will remain free on a $15,000 bond pending a Nov. 18 sentencing, faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for the offense.”
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“I always wanted to start my own cult even more than I ever wanted to be a rock star. I’m going to go watch some gun videos and start winding down. Goodnight Sherb, get some sleep.”
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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:
— 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.
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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] Mitch Brisker sheds light on Emily Armstrong’s ties to Scientology mom
[TWO years ago] Scientology targets another international capital city, and we have the hype video!
[THREE years ago] My Scientology wins: A personal testament of OT powers
[FOUR years ago] Scientology wants you to take advantage of the CARES Act and donate to Dave while you can!
[FIVE years ago] Read Danny Masterson’s ‘demurrer’ he’s hoping will get his criminal charges dismissed
[SIX years ago] Here’s the Kent team’s 3rd lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige — dive in!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s minion lawyer stretches his ‘theta arm’ to touch the future!
[EIGHT years ago] Tonight, Paul Haggis calls out Scientology’s celebs: ‘Damn them for being purposely blind’
[NINE years ago] Talking highlights of ‘Fair Game’ with its author, Aussie journalist Steve Cannane
[TEN years ago] THE GETTING CLEAR CONFERENCE: How to see the videos that lay Scientology bare
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s tent party in England: The 9-minute trailer!
[TWELVE years ago] Scenes from Scientology’s Armageddon
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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 3,391 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,895 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,401 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,951 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,941 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,327 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,822 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,126 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,777 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,995 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,549 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,890 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,461 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,377 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,544 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,126 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,385 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,422 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,138 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,702 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,017 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,192 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,874 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,211 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,064 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,180 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,542 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,953 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,341 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,225 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,790 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,301 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,561 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,665 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 19, 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
