We have a couple of updates for you on this Monday. First, we’ve received yet another account from a source who says they witnessed the “Chase Wave” shenanigans, which overtook Scientology finances around 2016-2019.
We first learned about the campaign, an attempt by Scientology salespeople, known as “registrars,” to saddle church members with huge new piles of debt by opening up multiple Chase credit card accounts, from a source who sent us a document outlining the process in a step by step process.
Since then we’ve had multiple people come forward, some on the record and some remaining anonymous, who say that they too had either been victimized in the Chase Wave scheme or saw it happen to others, and that there was eventually a backlash shutting it down.
We’ve heard from another person who prefers to keep back their identity to prevent retaliation by the church.
I’ve been reading your stuff for a while now and I appreciate what you do to inform people. I was reading a recent article you posted about the Chase Wave, and I can confirm not only was this the name of the technique, but they definitely did it to tons of people. I was convinced to do the Chase Wave while I was also a member of the Sea Org, and many SO members were convinced to take out loans to pay for their own services in order to get the gross income up. I was even told that if I ended up defaulting that there would be no consequences. I can also confirm that the church had issues with Chase, and that Chase won’t run large purchases through them. In fact, an associate of mine, (after Chase blacklisted them), said that the Church is running Chase payments through a third party service to hide the final user from Chase. I believe it’s Paypal, but they’re essentially adding money to one digital account to then use that account to pay the church. Thanks for doing what you do. Hope this is useful in some way.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque held a “ludicrous” event on Saturday…
And here was an email sent out about it that was forwarded on to us…
Albuquerque is on the brink – we are going to complete our fundraising target without question tonight. This may be your last chance to complete the status you have been dreaming about.
Now is the time to finish your humanitarian!
Now is the time to get on the honor roll!
Come to the virtual event tonight and be prepared to step up because we are hitting this milestone and you want to be part of this.
If you are not registered, go to https://goideal.org/ludicrous and register right now. We guarantee you will kick yourself if you miss this!
We are making history – we are finishing the West US and Albuquerque is next!
See you there!
AdvertisementBill & Lesley McCaffrey
And another reason to join staff in Chicago!
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Did you know you can get an email every morning when we post our daily Scientology story? We know some of the folks who come to the Underground Bunker aren’t here to talk about the politics of the day, and that’s why we created a daily politics feature over at our other blog, The Lowdown, and we ask readers to take their political discussions over there. And if you drop us a line at tonyo94 AT gmail, we’ll put you on the list so you get a morning reminder that a new Scientology story has been posted — and only for our Scientology stories.
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“A little bulletin here: Aussies, hang your head in shame! All through the Commonwealth with the greatest of ease, I was able to slow down this government raid on the church in Washington, but not in Australia. You see, the lines go straight from Australia to the United States and back and forth. And the whole rigged government release in Washington landed scram-bang into the press in Australia. So Australia is a seething mess of ‘God ‘elp us’ now, and somebody from the Australian syndicate is coming down to see me tomorrow, and they want to know all about it. I’m not going to tell them very much beyond a fascist government raided a church. I’ll tell them, Be very, very careful, though, because apparently there’s a million dollars in the offing to fight this in the United States. They actually got all kinds of leads and money pouring in like mad from all directions, and the situation looks very dark for the United States.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 10, 1963
“Bless AOLA! They held their trend and all the GDSes continue to go up like rockets and their GI is over $41,000. They’re a great team, and we admire them.” — The Commodore, January 10, 1971
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“It all just makes it real to me of what LRH says on OT2 about the effect of implants and also just how well the CIA has hijacked the tech for both the church and FZ. What I have been witnessing is one huge confusion. It will require one seriously strong being to find the stable datum around which all else will unconfuse. And then we will still have fucknuts insisting that their version is the only correct one. Much like the circus called Christianity.”
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2001: New Times Los Angeles published letters to the editor this week in response to its cover story on Raul Lopez. “Scientology’s treatment of Raul Lopez is outrageous: New Times is to be commended for its courage in publishing Ron Russell’s article about how a disabled adult was taken advantage of by a litigious cult masquerading as a church. The analogy likening this young man to a girl being passed around at a Hell’s Angels party is very accurate. Scientology has gotten away with this type of behavior for too long. They have influenced public officials who are too lazy to research the cult’s long history of abuses. They have avoided responsibility for their actions by screaming ‘religious intolerance’ and calling anyone who protests them bigots. I would like to know what kind of religion includes taking advantage of the disabled as a religious tenet and right! I note that the Scientology lawyers are already trying to put the blame elsewhere, this time upon Lopez’s mother! And, of course, they imply that they are the victims of a pair of lawyers representing Lopez by denigrating them as self-proclaimed ‘cult busters.’ – Barb Graham, San Diego”
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“Miscavige isn’t that old and he’s got plenty of money, real estate, and willing slaves to play with. I saw an interview with Pol Pot shortly before he died and it boiled down to him saying he wished he could do some things over but he did what he thought was best for the people of Cambodia. Miscavige is either a non-believer who thinks ‘suckers get what they deserve and if it wasn’t me somebody else would be fleecing these idiots’ or he’s a believer and thinks ‘Yes, I’ve been a strongman, but that’s what was necessary to insure the survival of this organization.’ Caesar or charlatan?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next hearing set for February 8. Trial scheduled for August 29, 2022.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), false imprisonment, aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Next hearing scheduled for January 18.
— 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 January 22 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for February 11.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Next hearing February 15.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Eleventh Circuit affirmed ruling granting Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Garcias considering next move.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ US Supreme Court denied Valerie’s petition Oct 4.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: California Supreme Court granted review on May 26 and asked the Second Appellate Division to direct Judge Steven Kleifield to show cause why he granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Oral arguments held November 2, awaiting a ruling.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for June 28, 2022.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 23. Appeal hearing held Aug 23-27. Awaiting a ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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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] Adding insult to injury, Valerie Haney faces a hearing for $160,000 in sanctions this week
[TWO years ago] Activists find Scientologist French police tried for years to question about 2006 suicide
[THREE years ago] Uh-oh. Someone trusted a whole bunch of money to a wealthy Scientologist.
[FOUR years ago] Xenu or Xemu? Here’s our take on one of Scientology’s galactic-wide mysteries
[FIVE years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: Once again, Scientology’s a horror show for the mentally ill
[SIX years ago] A business executive looks at Scientology as a (poorly run) business
[SEVEN years ago] Jon Atack: Scientology’s ‘training routines’ and their relationship to meditation
[EIGHT years ago] Black hearts and burning crosses: Scientology litigation is getting weird in Texas
[NINE years ago] Scientology True Crime: A First Look at Nancy Many’s Docudrama Airing January 16
[TEN years ago] Scientology and Oiliness: More Renderings from the Super Power Building
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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 2,541 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,046 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,566 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,586 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,477 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,784 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,652 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,426 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,757 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,230 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,546 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,112 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,031 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,199 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,780 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,041 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,077 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,792 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,317 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 672 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,847 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,398 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,547 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,867 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,722 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,841 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,197 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,500 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,606 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,004 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,880 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,463 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,958 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,212 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,321 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 10, 2022 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
