TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: It’s not every day that we get success stories like this out of Scientology, and from someone who has a pretty interesting past in the church. Are you being held down by negative case? Have your flows started to stick together? This space ranger has the answer for you! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The major cause of trouble in seeking to correct OTs has been violations of the auditor assignment policy, whereby a person of lower case level than the OT was trying to audit or cram the OT. Not only does this put the OT on a withhold of confidential data, but a person of lower case level has no reality on the materials of the case level of the OT and can easily stir up aspects of the case that should have been left alone, or, if taken up handled fully. Additionally if the OT did get messed up, then he could only be repaired by using repair actions appropriate to his case level. A non-OT III Cramming Officer or auditor could not possibly repair BPC on an OT III.” — 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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“Why do you think it is that simply looking at something will make it vanish as far as a thetan is concerned? We know that this will take place. All right, that’s because he goes into communication with it and it is a mismanaged communication. To be an it, to be a something, we must have had a mismanaged communication of one kind or another. That’s why we say ‘God built this universe.’ Now that is a mismanaged communication, per se, it is right there. God did not build this universe. And so that is mismanaged so there is the wrong point of origin, see, some point of origin is mocked-up, and so on.” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 22, 1954
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“Peter Church, FEBC student and Sharon West were married at sea by Captain W.B. Robertson at 2151 hours 21 Dec 1970. The marriage will be recorded at the nearest consul under Maritime Law and the Laws of Panama. The entry has been duly recorded in the ship’s log. Peter Church is from Delta Meters, Los Angeles. They will have a brief honeymoon in the nextport. They have the good wishes of the officers and crew of the Apollo and my own.” — The Commodore, December 22, 1970
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“I think there is different levels of beingness and as you advance up you always look at the people below you and think that they are insane, but you think you’re sane, then you progress and then you think about how you used to be and you think you were insane, so it’s all a gradient scale, and earthlings on average are not advanced so therefore we are all insane.”
1995: A first person account was posted to a.r.s this week by Stanley Richards. He claims to have known Hubbard in 1952. “To tell the truth, though, I always knew that his genius contained an element of the charlatan or magician – perhaps shaman’ would be a better word, because the shaman recognises the necessary element of illusion or fiction required by his work. For example, there were theories in scientology about our progress toward a near perfect emotional and mental state called clear’ which I always knew to be a fiction, but which I supported because I thought it was a way of keeping people going in the process (therapy) – giving them hope and a future: hope as a necessary fantasy. Then there was the time, too, when he got everybody worked up about the threat of communism to Scientology: that the big boys in the Kremlin were out to destroy scientology because it was a danger to them. Hubbard was the instigator of this scare. Every student was put through a lie detector test to ensure that there were no communist agents amongst us. Again, I knew that this was a fiction and that the Kremlin had never heard of Scientology, let alone thought it a danger to them. I went along with this, too, because I thought it was a political move which would boost the prestige of Scientology, making it more important in high places as well as giving scientology students a greater sense of their importance in the world. I am sure this was Hubbard’s motive, at least in part, so I forgave Hubbard all these deceptions because of what I thought were his overall good intentions. And that’s the
thing you see: Hubbard was so sure that his intentions and his subject were for the good of mankind that he convinced everyone else – but that is what a good magician does: makes everyone believe in his illusions.”
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“Dude, we don’t get ‘in comm’ with people around here, we talk to them.”
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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. Appeal now fully briefed, waiting for 2nd Appellate District court to set a hearing date. Masterson has also submitted a habeas corpus petition.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Pleaded guilty on Nov 10 to a 17-year prison sentence (eligible for parole in two to three more years). Awaiting transfer to state prison.
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 respondent’s brief is due January 12.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 15 days of arbitration completed, Val waiting for further word from the IJC.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal. Appeal fully briefed. Motion to replace Jane Does’ AI-tainted brief denied by court. Awaiting a court hearing date.
— 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 opens ‘Ideal Mission’ in hotspot where it ran city council candidate
[TWO years ago] Getting the stink out of Scientology’s Saint Hill Manor: A special remembrance
[THREE years ago] Judge sets Jan 20 hearing for motion to serve Scientology leader in trafficking case
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s 2021 was a leaky one, including new data about its dirty tricks
[FIVE years ago] ‘Tears of joy’: Scientology boasts that leader David Miscavige attended Clearwater event
[SIX years ago] Scientology Santa: The church built on Jesus as a hoax once again co-opts Christmas
[SEVEN years ago] Checking in on a Scientology ‘ideal’ Christmas as we continue our year in review
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology donor Joy Villa aiming for Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s Miami congressional district
[NINE years ago] February made us shiver, but it was another Astounding month here in the Bunker
[TEN years ago] The Scientologist who sold a hot dinosaur skull to Nicolas Cage
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s 2014 in review: In chilly February, Hambo began his onslaught
[TWELVE years ago] Sunday Funnies: Scientology sends us a letter!
[THIRTEEN years ago] Scientology’s 2012 In Review: Debbie Cook Starts January Off With a BANG!
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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 3,485 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,989 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,495 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,045 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,035 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,421 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,916 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,220 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,871 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,089 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,643 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,984 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,555 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,471 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,638 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,220 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,479 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,231 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,796 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,111 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,286 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,968 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,305 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,158 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,274 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,636 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,047 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,435 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,319 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,884 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,395 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,655 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,759 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 22, 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
