Last July when the Trump administration first released detailed information about which businesses had received emergency payroll (PPP) loans to businesses in response to the pandemic, we pointed out that not only had three Scientology “orgs” received such loans, but so had its drug rehab centers and some associated schools.
Then, on the morning of December 3 we reported that an even more extensive list of orgs, rehabs, schools, and front groups had received PPP loans, and we put them together in an illustrated list totaling about $4.4 million. Later that day the Daily Dot came out with a similar list, and since then the publication has published more updates regarding PPP and other federal programs, the latest last week showing that the total they found is now up to nearly $10 million.
And now one of our researchers has found that it’s not just institutions like Scientology orgs and schools that are benefiting from the government’s bailout programs. They found some recipients that we think you are going to find very interesting.
David Minkoff
You may remember Dr. Minkoff as the physician who had his license suspended for a year after the death of Lisa McPherson. He was disciplined for prescribing her a sedative without ever actually seeing her in person. He’d been talking to caregivers at the Fort Harrison Hotel, who had been watching Lisa slowly dehydrate and die.
But hey, Minkoff has employees he needs to pay! We found these loans to his Lifeworks Wellness Center.
PPP bailouts: $507,300
EIDL bailouts: $75,000
Rebecca Minkoff
David’s daughter Rebecca is the famous handbag designer and also an avid Scientologist who we’ve seen working to help out the front groups.
PPP bailouts: $1.32 million
EIDL bailouts: $160,000
Jim Mathers
Gosh, it’s been a while since we’ve seen major Scientology donor Jim Mathers on a barnstorming trip to a foreign country to whip up the locals in a fundraising fury.
We found listings for Mather’s Florida companies Energy Professionals, LLC and Customer Acquisition Specialists of America.
PPP bailouts: $685,000
EIDL bailouts: $160,000
Stacy Francis
Once one of Leah Remini’s best friends, the singer and reality TV figure now trashes Leah on a regular basis.
EIDL bailouts: $5,000
Gina Ribisi
The younger sister of twins Giovanni and Marissa Ribisi, Gina is a make-up artist in Hollywood and part of the formidable Scientology clan.
EIDL bailouts: $21,000
Denice Duff
The ‘Young & The Restless’ actress is known as a particularly hardcore Scientology member, and helped give away the news that a Scientologist is now an SNL cast member.
EIDL bailouts: $3,000
Mirit Hendricksen
Watching Mirit reinvent herself as a painter who sells to wealthy Scientologists has been one of the more entertaining things going on around here recently.
EIDL bailouts: $40,000
Richard Wallace
A Scientologist who’s been featured both in Freedom magazine and on Scientology TV (is there a special award for that?) Wallace owns the Bayside Urgent Care Center in Clearwater.
PPP bailouts: $192,800
Clay Bock
We’ve had some fun watching Clay Bock’s rather unhinged runs for political office in Orange County, California. But he’s also the owner of Integrity Jewelers in Garden Grove there.
PPP bailouts: $6,750
EIDL bailouts: $1,000
Jim Meskimen
The son of Marion Ross, Jim is one of the most enthusiastic of Scientology’s celebrities. He’s an impressionist, and his wife Tamra is owner of the Acting Center in Sherman Oaks, a Scientologist magnet.
Jim Meskimen
PPP bailouts: $15,647
The Acting Center
PPP bailouts: $14,470
EIDL bailouts: $21,400
Norman Berry
Chill EB! Our favorite Scientology hip hop artist, a/k/a Norman Berry, has apparently needed a little government help.
EIDL bailouts: $28,900
Greg Mitchell and Renee Bessone
Greg Mitchell is Scientology’s lobbyist in Washington DC, and his firm received $7,800 in PPP loans. His wife Renee Bessone is a former professional dancer and she got $10,000 in EIDL bailouts. Together they started something called the Conscience Coalition a couple of years ago that got involved in anti-vaxx activism.
Conscience Coalition
EIDL bailouts: $160,000
Ben Fialkoff
Ben Fialkoff and his daughter Meghan received Scientology’s highest award, the Freedom Medal, for their infiltration of New York City schools with the help of the NYPD in order to push L. Ron Hubbard’s quack ideas about drugs. Ben’s also a dentist, and his practice scooped up some help.
PPP bailouts: $135,505
Rusty Tweed
Danny Masterson’s stepdad, seen here with his wife Carol Masterson and stepson Christopher Masterson, has been banned for life from trading securities after getting caught running a Ponzi scheme by the SEC. But that hasn’t stopped him from dipping into Uncle Sam’s pockets for his companies Tweed Financial Services, The Exeter Group, TFS Properties, and Mold Zero.
PPP bailouts: $594,576
EIDL bailouts: $443,400
Grant Cardone
The ham hock himself.
PPP bailouts: $3,109,500
Brent Jones is getting a lot of really bad publicity for his Real Water debacle, but news articles about his snake oil harming people and his company being shut down almost never mention that he’s a longtime Scientology operator and right wing politician.
PPP bailouts: $196,327
EIDL bailouts: $282,000
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“One of the things which I am very pleased to announce immediately is that we have seldom failed in recent months to raise the intelligence quotient of any individual undergoing 25 hours of processing, at least 10 points. And for those who have undergone as much as 75 hours of processing, we have raised it as much as 35 points and consider it routine 25 points. This is something that has never happened before, and therefore it is an important thing that we take a look at this. According to psychology, this is an impossibility — completely impossible.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 3, 1955
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“Commodore’s Transport is transferred to Div IV, Transport Section. Ship’s boats, all cars aboard are included in its activities. Des Popham and Arthur Hubbard are transferred to this Transport Section. The 1st Mate is now responsible for care and routine checks on vehicles as well as lifeboats, their lowering gear, sleds and motor handling.” — The Commodore, June 3, 1970
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“L. Ron Hubbard is the basic engram. When I recognized that I immediately felt more alive. I could hear the wind, feel the wind flowing through my body, see the leaves moving. To carry on a mission like Scientology you need more than raw intelligence, you need a havingness for Truth, a degree of acceptance. At the end of the day, LRH is the one who set up the Church, the one who started the abuses, and everyone else agreed to follow. That’s the truth! LRH was after all, and for all his life, an Anglo-Saxon, a man imbued in the sins and the traits of his culture. Too little human. This is not a comment against Scientology, quite the contrary. Scientology is a chest full of gold, the thing you need to know. The danger of going with the misunderstood to follow LRH is the thing you need to avoid to succeed in the mission. As long as you don’t as-is, you are subjected to fail. That being said, LRH is still my second favorite person, and only two persons have impressed me that much. [Who’s the first?] Adolf Hitler.”
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1997: Prosperity Magazine reports the winners of the ‘Model of Admin Know-How’ award. “First Year Winners: Ability School, New Jersey, Bruce Atkinson D.D.S., Ault Chiropractic Center, The Durable Slate Company, Family Maternity Clinic, Likeside Chiropractic Clinic, M Two Solution, Santee Animal Hospital, Shaun Kirk’s Physical Therapy, Inc., Carl Smudde, D.D.S. P.C., Staun-Snyder, Inc., Studio Cermenate, Dr. Claude C. Stevens, D.C., Survival Strategies, Inc., VMM Enterprises. Second Year Winners: Clearly Platinum, Inc., Indianapolis Veterinary Referral, Kim Bright-Cassano Enterprises, Steinman Champagne, Inc., John M. Susko, D.D.S., U-Test Services Oy, Valko Personal Services. Third Year Winners: A to B School, AMC Publishing [former employer of Lisa McPherson]. The Code of a WISE Member Award: Alan Baker, Peter Buckles. Special Recognition Award: H. T.”
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“There’s no shortage of angry disaffected white people in this country. It’s scary.”
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Held to answer for trial, next arraignment set for June 7.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Pretrial conference August 21 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for June 18.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition to US Supreme Court submitted on May 26. Scientology has until June 25 to respond.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: California Supreme Court grants review on May 26, asks Second Appellate Division to direct Judge Steven Kleifield to show cause why he granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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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, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.
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] Kirstie Alley lets her Scientology hang out and fans react with predictable hilarity
[TWO years ago] Reader, can you help this father who wants to keep his son out of Scientology?
[THREE years ago] The US government continues to fret over how other countries treat Scientology
[FOUR years ago] Scientology to federal court: A judge calling our members directly? Are you nuts?
[FIVE years ago] ‘Ross & Carrie’ conclude their Scientology investigation by calling it ‘ridiculously creepy’
[SIX years ago] Scientology routed: What the national press hasn’t figured out about the Trout Run defeat
[SEVEN years ago] Federal judge again declines to intervene for Ken Dandar, but leaves a door open
[EIGHT years ago] L. Ron Hubbard Intends to Rid You Of a 43-Trillion-Year-Old Implant. What Was That Like?
[NINE years ago] Scientology Wins a Major Award Again! Galaxy Press Vindicated!
[TEN years ago] Jan Eastgate, Scientology Official, Arrested in Australia for Covering Up Sexual Abuse Claims
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,320 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,825 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,345 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,365 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,256 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,563 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,431 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,205 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,535 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,009 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,325 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,891 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,810 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,978 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,559 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,820 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,858 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,571 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,096 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 451 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,626 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,177 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,326 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,646 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,501 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,620 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,976 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,279 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,385 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,787 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,659 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,242 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,737 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,991 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,100 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 3, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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, 15 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
