TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The Church of Scientology has filed an amicus brief in support of Danny Masterson’s attempt to overturn his conviction that has him serving 30 years to life. This is the most definitive evidence yet that Scientology has not dropped its support of the ‘That ‘70s Show’ actor. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“A Dianetic Clear must not be run on engrams, R3RA or any version of R3R or Dianetics. After Dianetic Clear, you can and must run Grades 0-IV if the pc has not yet had Scientology Grades. You do not run the pc on the R3RA section of the new Service Fac handling, however. He can be given Touch or Contact Assists (as can Clears and OTs), but not a Dianetic Auditing Assist nor any Dianetic auditing. A Dianetic Clear does the Purification Rundown and the Survival Rundown if he has not had these. He is given the Scientology Drug Rundown (unless he has previously completed a full NED Drug Rundown or other Dianetic Drug Rundown). He is run on Expanded ARC Straightwire and Expanded Grades 0-IV, to full Ability Gained for each Grade not previously standardly declared.” — 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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“You go in one of these modern cemeteries, one of these nice modern ones. Boo! There’s more trapped thetans around that joint than you care to measure up in a long day of Sundays. And if you want to amuse yourself, put out a line on them and say, ‘Hey fella, why don’t you get on your way?’ And they sort of feel groggy, ‘Huh? Voice of God, must be the voice of God.’ So you want to play God? Well you ought to go down and do this some time just for kicks. Put a little bit of an energy beam on them and, or plant the thought, ‘You are now on top of the grave.’ Or, ‘You are now on top of the headstone.’ And if you really want to pour the juice into them — it’s kind of bad to hypnotize thetans, I usually feel sorry for them — if you want to pull the, if you want to pour the juice in on them and go just brrwhack! ‘You are now on top of the tombstone.’ There isn’t any doubt about your getting them out, truth be known. You can put out enough energy. Beam in, sort of bore a little hole in the guy’s head and then, and then put the energy concentration flow into the center of his forehead, in in in in in in in, and his skull will go spatter, brains and all. This is no joke. I mean, I’m not joking about this.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 6, 1952
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“Div 6 had better start looking to crew entertainment. Terri Gillham had to capture a British Submarine to give the crew some movies. I think that’s a bit extraordinary.” — The Commodore, December 6, 1971
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“Outside of Ron’s, there is no other tech out there. The best others have is a temporary stilling of the mind, which is well-nigh impossible to achieve. Keying oneself out by various means such as physical exercise or going on holiday or re-arranging the furniture is only temporary, bringing a few minutes or hours of relief, at best. The only other recourse is alcohol or drugs, with catastrophic penalties.”
2000: Former Scientologist Michael Pattinson reported that Scientology unsuccessfully attempted to block his application for a green card to allow him to stay in the United States. “During an interview with the INS last December I asked the official if there were any documents in my INS file that were not placed there by myself or my attorney. He showed us the file and there were documents inserted in there from Moxon and Kobrin. The documents were the false spin on my character. One was from the lawsuit from the staff member who sued me as a reprisal for me suing the cult management. The other document was from a person in Florida. This person was paid $2,000 to cheat the INS by being paid for marrying a Mexican woman called Anna who needed a husband to avoid getting deported. So this guy whose documents are supposed to stop me getting my INS green card is therefore probably guilty of INS fraud himself. My attorney then sued the INS to force them to process my approved application. In the end after much wrangling in the courts we won the action under a settlement in my favor. I now have US permanent residency despite the fair game psychosis of the goons of the criminal cult of Scientology.”
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“Posting any old Scientology video isn’t automatically relevant. It should relate to the subject of the day’s article.”
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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] It’s here! Scientology’s list of trophy-winning big donors from 2024’s Patrons Ball!
[TWO years ago] New court leak: Scientology lied that Leah Remini had ‘blood on her hands’ in knife slay
[THREE years ago] SOURCE: Kirstie Alley will be memorialized at Scientology’s ‘spiritual mecca’
[FOUR years ago] Before and after Jonestown Bob Dole looked into cults — so Scientology targeted him
[FIVE years ago] Some of Scientology’s orgs around the country are boarded up. What gives, Dave?
[SIX years ago] Jackie Lacey insider: Unseat her in March if you want to see Danny Masterson charged
[SEVEN years ago] When Tom Cruise go-fer and budding flak Tommy Davis was getting his Scientology hat on
[EIGHT years ago] Why is it so hard for governments to crack down on the Church of Scientology?
[NINE years ago] Tonight on Leah Remini’s series, two more families get ripped apart and ‘fair gamed’
[TEN years ago] Postscript: How David Miscavige spun the death of Lisa McPherson
[ELEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: How to get a convinced Scientologist on the road to recovery
[TWELVE years ago] How Does Scientology Take Over a Mind? Jefferson Hawkins Tells Us About “PTS”
[THIRTEEN years ago] Vance Woodward’s Book Addicted to Scientology Is An Amazing High
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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 3,469 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,973 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,479 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,029 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,019 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,405 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,900 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,204 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,855 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,073 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,627 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,968 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,539 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,455 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,622 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,204 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,463 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,500 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,215 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,780 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,095 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,270 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,952 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,289 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,142 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,258 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,620 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,031 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,419 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,303 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,868 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,379 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,639 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,743 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 6, 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
