TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The Underground Bunker wishes its American readers a very happy Thanksgiving. Once again, we return to our tradition of asking readers to tell us what they’re thankful for as we enjoy one of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s most hilarious tall tales. Pass the Source! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“In DIANETICS: THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH considerable stress is placed on the words and phrases in engrams. This is still functional. However as I did further research I found that (a) many pcs were unable to get the words in the engram and (b) the apparent force of the words was derived wholly from the pain, emotion, effort contained in the engram. In Standard Dianetics the words in an engram play no major role in the auditing.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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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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“Let’s start back a little further, where you will find quite a few PCs. And that is the Marcab, or the Big Dipper area of this particular galaxy, which received the immigration from another galaxy into this galaxy, and which set up a society which kept going for a very, very long time — a society which is something on the order of about 208,000 years back on the track. Now, that period rather ended and ceased and desisted for that particular society somewhere about 10,000 years ago. So you see, that is a long, rough society. Well now, oddly enough, people went out of that society as thetans and came back into it again. So you get that society, the Marcab society, punctuated with lives spent in completely unidentified, Lord-knows-where planets. And you get such odd things, you know, as fish people. You know? Well, where did they come from? Who are they?” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 27, 1959
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“MISUNDERSTOOD NIXON: Imagine my surprise and hilarity to find that President Nixon is pursuing current economic policies because of a misunderstood word…The word ‘inflation’ is being used in a mis-defined definition by the Administration. All this Wage-Price freeze that Nixon has been putting on is because he thinks the word ‘inflation’ is caused by and means ‘prices increasing.’ He and his beer hall buddies publicly state that ‘the rate of increase in prices is synonymous with the rate of inflation.’ Therefore, all one has to do is freeze wages and one will cure inflation…Looking over this literature I see that when I studied economics at Princeton University I came to some conclusions which were so obvious to me that I thought they were a part of the textbooks…Anyway, the economic trouble we are handling and our hard work to survive and remain viable is being made necessary because of a misunderstood word.” — The Commodore, November 27, 1971
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“I have found that all my primary relationships are relationships of long duration with people I have known from many different times and places in not only this universe but also the universe outside this one… The 2D universe of the Spiritual Family… and the universes and dimensions beyond.”
1998: The St. Petersburg Times published column by Mary Jo Melone on the Lisa McPherson charges against Scientology this week. “The usual rules of the game require that I withhold judgment on the charges of criminal neglect and practicing medicine without a license that were filed against the Church of Scientology on Nov. 13 by Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe in connection with McPherson’s death in 1995. But the good guys finally struck back at that collection in Clearwater of the glassy-eyed, the robotic and the rich. And the just plain sick. The Scientologists didn’t literally use a turkey baster to force
pseudo-medical cocktails into McPherson, but a device that operates under the same principle, called an irrigation syringe. Imagine a needleless syringe bigger than the one used to give you a flu shot. Honest-to-God medical people use it to flush wounds, said Ken Dandar, the attorney for McPherson’s survivors, who are suing the Scientologists. McPherson was pumped with concoctions that would have impressed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: magnesium, a sedative called chloral hydrate, aspirin, the antihistamine Benadryl, and assorted vitamins and herbs. Scientology mumbo-jumbo swears it was going to save her from her psychosis. A hearing will be held on the criminal charges on Nov. 30, and the Scientologists vow to resolve them quickly. They say nothing like this will ever happen again. If the church pleads no contest to McCabe’s criminal charges, the criminal case can’t even be mentioned in the civil suit. On the other hand, if the church fights the charges and loses, the criminal case can be cited in the civil proceedings. This would almost certainly drive up the cost of a settlement.”
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“In ‘Road To Xenu’ Margery Wakefield recounts sitting around in the Sea Org cafeteria watching Star Trek and they were laughing because the wogs didn’t realize that the stuff on the screen was the writer’s suppressed whole track memories. Hubbard said somewhere that science fiction, if not all fiction, was whole track memories unbeknownst to its authors.”
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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.
— 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] Lisa Marie Presley’s FBI file shows she was dealing with unhinged stalkers
[TWO years ago] Scientology boasts that it has more big donors than ever in new flier
[THREE years ago] Scientology actually found the one guy who joined because of a Super Bowl ad
[FOUR years ago] In Scientology the ‘executive’ bossing you around is likely to be half your age
[FIVE years ago] Superhuman Scientology OT 8 makes news for being unable to control matter, space, and time
[SIX years ago] The rapey Danny Masterson movie clip someone doesn’t want you to see
[SEVEN years ago] Leah Remini starts third season with bombshell Scientology escape story
[EIGHT years ago] Don’t give short shrift to one of Scientology’s most defining qualities – its arrogance
[NINE years ago] What you’ll find on the menu at the clinic run by a physician who’s also a Scientologist
[TEN years ago] Scientology wants to force a drug rehab center on Maryland: Here’s the local county’s response
[ELEVEN years ago] An iconic Scientology building in Hollywood is in pre-foreclosure, and what that portends
[TWELVE years ago] Vivian Kubrick Surfaces in the Oddest Possible Way: At an Alex Jones Rally
[THIRTEEN years ago] Stephen Kent’s New Article on Scientology’s War With Psychiatry
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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 3,460 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,964 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,470 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,020 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,010 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,396 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,891 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,195 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,846 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,064 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,618 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,959 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,530 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,446 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,613 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,195 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,454 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,491 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,206 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,771 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,086 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,261 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,943 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,280 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,133 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,249 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,611 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,022 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,410 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,294 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,859 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,370 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,630 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,734 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 27, 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
