Leah Remini set Twitter on fire this week when she spoke up about the Cory Palka news and about his years of shilling for Scientology while he was commander of the Hollywood Division.
And Leah has once again put the question of Shelly Miscavige’s whereabouts in the public consciousness, resulting in a burst of media coverage. (Please see our own story about the controversy here.)
So we are especially excited that Leah agreed to talk with us for a new episode of the Underground Bunker Podcast. We talked about her tweets and the fuss they kicked up, about the LAPD and its cozy relationship with Scientology, about Shelly Miscavige and where she might be today. And of course we talked about the Danny Masterson trial. And so much more.
Substack won’t let us embed the podcast here, but it went out on email this morning, and you can go to it directly with this link.
One of the stories we discussed was one that Leah helped us out with and that we published in 2015 at the Bunker. It’s about a nightmare Scientology daycare where children were being molested, and where Scientology convinced parents not to cooperate with law enforcement. You can see that story here.
If you’re new to our Substack and to our writing in general, we’re really glad you’re here. We’ve been writing about Scientology since 1995, and we’ve collected some of our favorite stories over that time here. In 2013, we broke the news that Leah Remini had left Scientology, and a month later we broke the story that she had filed a missing-person report on Shelly Miscavige, the missing wife of Scientology’s leader. Each Christmas, we re-post our reporting on why we think Shelly is still alive and where she’s being held. On March 3, 2017, we broke the story that Danny Masterson was being investigated by the LAPD. We’re currently covering his trial in Los Angeles, and we produce comprehensive reports from the courthouse each day there.
And in 2020, Leah gave us an unpublished chapter from her book ‘Troublemaker’ to post at our website. It contains some of the most damning material about Tom Cruise ever made public.
We hope you enjoy the podcast and join us at our discussion site (see below) to talk about it.
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Technology Cocktail
“Leukaemia is evidently psychosomatic in origin and at least eight cases of leukaemia had been treated successfully by Dianetics after medicine had traditionally given up. The source of leukaemia has been reported to be an engram containing the phrase ‘It turns my blood to water.'” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1953
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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?
— The Underground Bunker Podcast
[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
— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates on the Danny Masterson trial
[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4 [4] Oct 10 [5] Oct 11: Day One [6] Oct 12: Day Two [7] Oct 13: Day Three [8] Oct 17: Day Four [9] Oct 18: Day Five [10] Oct 19: Day Six [11] Special interview with Chris Shelton, Oct 19 [12] Oct 20: Day Seven [13] Oct 21: Day Eight [14] First week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [15] Oct 24: Day Nine [16] Oct 25: Day Ten [17] Oct 27: Day Eleven [18] Oct 28: Day Twelve [19] Second week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [20] Halloween special [21] Nov 2: Day Thirteen [22] Nov 3: Day Fourteen [23] Nov 4: Day Fifteen [24] Third week in review [25] Nov 5, Saturday special [26] Nov 6, Sunday special [27] Nov 7, Day Sixteen [28] Lisa Marie Presley breaking news [29] Nov 8, Day Seventeen [30] Nov 9, Day Eighteen [31] Nov 10, Day Nineteen
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“We understand God because of the Devil; we understand this, we understand that. These are double data. The basic unit of the universe is two, not one. And we suddenly announce, ‘Theta has as its potentiality the location of matter and energy in space and time, and can, as well, create space and time.’ Well, once we say that, and the same time we say it has no wavelength, it — boy, we’re really describing a beast here. This thing couldn’t possibly have any position in the real universe. And sure enough, it doesn’t.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 14, 1956
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“At Group Muster last night the FSO was not satisfied that the requirements were met by S. Moreau, A. Tabayoyon, C. Varga and E. Hayes, so the above are still restricted to the ship and given 24 hrs to: Get all shore passes of those restricted to ship removed from QM desk and given to AMA. Run a series of drills on QMs to ensure they won’t goof again. Draw up a proposed watch stat for QMs which includes a heavy penalty for watch goofs. Get a list of all QMs given to Dept 13 so that gangway QMs be post purpose cleared.” — Lt. N.F. Starkey, Captain, November 14, 1971
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“Aliens used 1/4 of earth animal DNA, and 3/4 theirs from another planetary race. This may explain the wild disparity between different pictures — different places….LRH collected data from Dianetics sessions for a couple of years before he wrote History of Man. A lot of this material was amazing just for the reason that the people had not communicated to each other and had the same incidents. Hubbard really thought he had all of these things correct. It turns out that some of these were in error because of people’s concept of science (their personal belief in ape-man-evolution and use of the faked Piltdown model). Hostile authors like Russell Miller and Jon Atack seized on this to make Hubbard look bad.”
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2001: Tory Christman reported a protest in Los Angeles on November 23rd. “I had two friends visiting from Canada who are critics, we decided to give ‘old Blue’ a picket. The three of us parked on the street behind the Complex, and walked around to L Ron Hubbard Way with our picket signs. My sign says, ‘Scientology: Stop Hurting Families,’ and they other mentions families too, and they have www.xenu.net on the back. As we walked along, immediately the security guards began slowly riding near us, and others walking on the street. On this day there were about 5-6 kids skateboarding and walking around the complex. As we walked one young kid yelled from across the street, ‘GET OFF OUR STREET!’ To which I said, ‘You don’t own this street’. We quietly continued walking up one side to the Sunset end of the Complex. As we did, the kids followed us, as did the security guards. As we walked, one little girl (maybe 12 we figured) came up to us and said, ‘We aren’t hurting families.’ I said back, ‘Tell that to the kids who are dead.’ She said, ‘We didn’t kill anyone’ and I said, ‘I didn’t say YOU did,’ hoping she might think about it.”
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“Hubbard had it wrong from the very beginning. Man is an animal and nothing more. Detachment from the material world is one of the main reasons humanity is destroying the material world. Spiritualism is our get out of jail free card.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Trial began October 11 in Los Angeles.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Arraigned on August 29.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 28.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for September 19.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing scheduled November 17 to argue the arbitration motions.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through December 13.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Case settled ahead of scheduled Dec 6 trial.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior 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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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] DOCUMENT LEAK: Did the ‘Chase Wave’ cause a blacklisting of Scientology?
[TWO years ago] Jon Atack quizzes Mike Rinder: Scientology’s former spy chief on L. Ron Hubbard’s paranoia
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s David Miscavige served again: This time in a sick case alleging child abuse
[FOUR years ago] Records of Scientology leader David Miscavige’s speeding tickets contain a small surprise
[FIVE years ago] Tonight on ‘Leah Remini’: L. Ron Hubbard gets the Russell Miller treatment
[SIX years ago] At an early age, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard learned how to captivate the press
[SEVEN years ago] Jeffrey Augustine: Just a friendly reminder — Scientology prices are outrageous
[EIGHT years ago] Classic Scientology shenanigans as class action lawsuit is filed against legal opponent NAFC
[NINE years ago] Jefferson Hawkins Drops In To See What Condition Our Scientology Condition Is In
[TEN years ago] Lawrence Wright’s Book on Scientology — Going Clear — Hits Bookstores January 17
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Sales Pitch: “Pure and Simple Blackmail”
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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 2,848 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,353 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,903 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,893 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,784 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,089 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,959 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,064 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,537 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,853 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,419 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,338 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,506 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,086 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,348 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,384 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,099 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,664 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 979 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,154 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,705 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,836 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,174 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,029 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,148 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,504 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,807 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,913 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,311 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,187 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,770 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,265 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,519 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,628 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 14, 2022 at 09:00
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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), 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
