Guy and Sheila Fauteux had insult added to injury when they found out that the young woman who started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help defray the costs of their daughter Tabatha’s funeral made off with the money instead.
Krystal Gentley, 26, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was arrested on Friday after Guy Fauteux says he asked GoFundMe about the money, about $5,000, and found that it had been withdrawn.
“She was Tabatha’s good friend. She was at Tabby’s life celebration, and she offered to set up the GoFundMe. Then she decided she needed the money more than we did,” Guy told us last night.
We’ve written previous stories about Tabatha, who died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles while she was there doing training with Scientology’s Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE). Tabatha had completed rehab at one of Scientology’s Narconon centers, in south Texas, and then got a job on staff there, which is very common at Narconon facilities. She was then selected to go to Los Angeles to train in the rehab network’s new regimen, and was staying in an apartment not far from the ABLE Hollywood offices with a boyfriend who was also going through the training.
In a story we published last month, the boyfriend said that a Narconon employee told them about an herbal drug, kratom, that would simulate the high of heroin, which was the drug Tabatha and her boyfriend had been addicted to. After trying kratom and finding it unsatisfying, the two began using heroin again for two weeks while they were doing their drug counseling training at ABLE. Then, on November 6, Tabatha overdosed and was found, lifeless, by her boyfriend.
Since then, Guy says he’s had no cooperation from Los Angeles County agencies as far as getting him an autopsy or toxicology report.
“I still haven’t gotten anything back from California. We’re still no closer to any answers. It’s still like the first day,” he says.
And now, they find that the money raised by friends and family has disappeared.
“You can’t go any lower in life I think than to do something like that, that was the lowest,” Sheila Fauteux told CBS in Boston.
The theft is getting a lot of attention from local news outlets, and Guy has been directing local reporters to our stories. Some of the press reports have mentioned where Tabatha died, but we haven’t seen the word “Scientology” in any of them yet. It will be interesting to keep an eye on.
UPDATE: The New York Daily News went there! It’s good to see a newspaper with some sand.
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A reminder: Billboard event tomorrow
Yesterday, Phil and Willie Jones were successful at getting a billboard put up in Los Angeles that targets the Scientology policy of disconection.
He wanted us to remind readers that there’s going to be an official dedication ceremony for the billboard on Wednesday morning at 10 am. The location for the event is 1710 Glendale Blvd in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, which is in view of the billboard itself. Go, and take lots of photos for us!
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 5, 2016 at 07:00
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Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
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
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten 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 | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
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