TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A group of protesters led by former London staffer Alex Barnes-Ross was in place yesterday for the start of this year’s IAS gala at Scientology’s UK headquarters. After the demonstration, we debriefed Alex about what took place this time, including a Tom Cruise sighting! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Miraculous as it is, a Word Clearer must be aware of the fact that M9 Word Clearing does not uncover false data, Crashing Mis-Us, overts, withholds or PTSness. Other tech exists to handle these. However they also, sometimes in a shadowy way, make their appearance doing M9. People doing M9 are doing it to get something understood or get some order done or get some product actually made and out. In most cases M9 will produce a marked gain. However, when it doesn’t work, one of the above is also present. Handling of these is covered in detail in other HCOBs. However, the item the M9er is most likely to collide with in situations where M9 is really not getting much done is the mysterious Crashing Mis-U. A Crashing Mis-U, while it is always sitting right there in PT, big as life, can sometimes appear to be elusive. It eludes the most conscientious Word Clearer and the person himself, despite honest efforts to find 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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“I hypnotized, one time, the staff of St. Elizabeth’s. Told them they’d heard a good speech and left the stage. They all came around afterwards saying, ‘What a good speech that was you gave!’ That was a mean thing to do. That was certainly backing out of it, wasn’t it? But it was in the early career of Dianetics and I felt very much like backing out of it. I was preceded by someone who told all of them how bad it was over ‘Ron-ward.’ They might afterwards have suspected my knowledge of the mind, but certainly not my knowledge of hypnotism. It’s very easy to hypnotize groups.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 1, 1956
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“The cause of war is incompetent government. The cause of ‘secret intelligence wars’ is incompetent intelligence services. We have no intention of getting loused up here so be alert and handle it both as ship organization and with your own personnel PRO ashore. We are honest legitimate people. Where we go money flows in. The enemy must not be permitted to cut income off from our local friends because Jewish international bankers hate anyone who help such a country as this.” — The Commodore, November 1, 1969.
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“My reality on the whole track has expanded many times over. My postulates work far far better. My self determinism and pan determinism is exponentially greater. In many sessions I found myself blowing huge chunks of stuff that had derailed me many times through the years and it’s no longer anywhere around and I don’t think I could re-mock it up if I tried!”
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2000: The Standard published an article this week on the efforts of Scientology to forbid auctions of E-meters on the Ebay auction site. “The auction of primitive electronic devices used by the Church of Scientology to measure the spiritual health of its members has been blocked by eBay, to the dismay of critics of the church and supporters of the Internet auction system. Several of these were being auctioned off on eBay before lawyers representing the Church of Scientology complained, saying that only licensed Scientology ministers were allowed to own e-meters. EBay discontinued the auctions of the devices. Helen Kobrin, a lawyer for the church, said that e-meters are protected under US federal law, which states they may only be owned by authorised members of the Church of Scientology. But she couldn’t recall what case or federal ruling established this legal protection. According to eBay, the e-meter auction was discontinued under its intellectual property owners protection programme. ‘EBay removed the item because of the VeRO guidelines; we are not determining the legality or illegality of the item,’ said eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove.”
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“If Hubbard hadn’t created Scientology, no one would even remember him.”
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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] Scientology relieved the natural disasters came to them this time
[TWO years ago] Jenna Elfman will emcee Scientology concert in England that sees David Miscavige’s return
[THREE years ago] The Insider: David Miscavige makes a telling change to Scientology’s ‘Ideal’ scam
[FOUR years ago] The fulfilling life of a Scientologist in a chaotic world
[FIVE years ago] Checking in with Scientology social media to see how the world takeover is going
[SIX years ago] Kansas City going Ideal! Scientology’s grand opening is tomorrow — will Dave be there?
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s new survey is a hoot — we’re itching for your answers!
[EIGHT years ago] The first Scientologist with ‘Super Power’ gets super spanked by bankruptcy judge
[NINE years ago] Hillary Clinton has considered David Miscavige’s appeals lawyer for the US Supreme Court
[TEN years ago] Jonny Jacobsen: Reflecting on the first week of Scientology’s criminal trial in Belgium
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: Are cult members — like those in Scientology — unduly influenced?
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Surprise: An Interview With OTVIIIisGrrr8!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Nathan Baca: Scientology’s Nevada Drug Rehab Program Is Completely Unregulated
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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 3,434 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,938 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,444 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,994 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,984 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,370 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,865 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,169 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,820 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,038 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,592 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,933 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,504 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,420 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,587 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,169 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,428 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,465 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,180 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,745 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,060 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,235 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,917 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,254 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,107 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,223 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,585 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,996 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,384 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,268 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,833 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,344 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,604 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,708 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 1, 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, 1995-2024 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2024), 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, 20 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
