A few days ago at Facebook, attorney Graham Berry notified his friends that he appears to be the target of a new “noisy investigation” by the Church of Scientology.
Even better, Berry also mentioned that he was the subject of Scientology “Fair Game” in an official court document in the Valerie Haney lawsuit, and as you can imagine, Scientology’s attorneys are not happy about it!
Oh, Graham. Giving Scientology heartburn for more than 30 years now.
But let us back up a bit and tell you about a man named John Blosser.
In 2021, we first learned that Blosser was asking questions about us, and in an unusual way: We heard from an old friend in Kansas City who told us that Blosser had reached out to him, asking about our tenure there. From 2003 to 2005 we enjoyed a great job as the managing editor of The Pitch, a fun and feisty alt-weekly newspaper. We wrote about local politics and other matters, and never about Scientology: There just wasn’t enough Scientology in KC to pay attention to. We also got to know a local TV reporter who did some great investigative work. We hadn’t heard from him in quite a few years when he contacted us to let us know that Blosser was asking questions about us.
Why would a reporter be looking up people we knew almost 20 years ago, and in a city where we didn’t write at all about Scientology, and why would that person not be calling us directly? Yeah, we’ve been here before. It was a classic Scientology “noisy investigation,” and we soon started hearing from some others that this reporter was contacting them.
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard explained to his followers in 1966 that they should use noisy investigations to harass and intimidate the church’s enemies:
You find out where he or she works or worked, doctor, dentist, friends, neighbours, anyone, and ‘phone ’em up and say, ‘I am investigating Mr/Mrs ………. for criminal activities as he/she has been trying to prevent Man’s freedom and is restricting my religious freedom and that of my friends and children, etc
The ideas is, you call people close to the target without actually calling the target themselves, knowing that it will get back to them they they’re being investigated. Scientology wants it to get back to them, which explains why Hubbard called it a “noisy investigation.”
After we heard that Blosser was asking about us, we learned that he had been a National Enquirer reporter who lost his job after the newspaper had to pay a huge settlement when a story he worked on turned out to be defamatory and untrue. You can read about it in this Daily News report which says that the Enquirer piece made some claims about a friend of Philip Seymour Hoffman who supposedly had given an interview about the actor’s death. The friend said he hadn’t talked to anyone, and sued the paper.
Then, in 2022, we learned that Blosser had moved on from us to another target: Leah Remini and Mike Rinder. Mike told us that Blosser was calling their former colleagues who had worked on the Scientology and the Aftermath television series.
“He actually contacted the family members of people who worked on the show!” Mike said. “Scientology operatives are constantly trying to find people who will say what horrible, rotten people Leah and I were to work with. They might have found someone who didn’t do their job and ended up leaving the production team who would say something negative, but they may have even struck out on that The core team we worked with — producers, camera, lighting, research, editors and many others remain our friends and are very loyal and hate everything about Scientology.”
After comparing notes with Mike, we realized that Blosser is the new Jim Lynch, a formerly legitimate journalist who had become Scientology’s shill, investigating each of us at different times. Lynch died at 59 of cancer in 2013.
And now, Scientology’s new shill has turned his attention on Graham Berry, who started getting messages from people about receiving strange phone calls about him.
“A ‘journalist’ just called asking me questions about you which I basically skirted around or said ‘no comment’ until I could figure out what he was getting at. Then he started asking if I or anyone else ever felt sexually threatened by you, after which I said no, of course not, this call is over. He said he was just trying to get information for a story he’s working on for his clients, which struck me as odd. A journalist with ‘clients.’ I said goodbye and hung up. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his name, sorry.”
Another friend did get the name.
“Someone from South Florida called me today about a lawsuit, someone named John Blosser? Asking about rent payment, our relationship, if you hit on people, who the money was going to… wanted to make sure you knew because he seems to be digging and implying negative of you. Wanted to let you know.”
If you know about Graham Berry’s history, you’ll recognize what Blosser is doing. We first wrote about Berry in 1999, and even then he had been a thorn in Scientology’s side for almost a decade. In one memorable early legal maneuver, he had process servers chase down Scientology celebrities at a Winter Wonderland event in Hollywood.
More recently, we’ve documented how successful Berry has been getting money back for some older Scientologists. Berry is so intimidating to the church, at one point Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon chased him down at the Stanley Mosk courthouse in Los Angeles and threw a $10,000 check at him, demanding that he take it for his client to end a case. Berry refused, and got his client a lot more money than that.
And now, Berry has stepped up his involvement in Valerie Haney’s lawsuit, and as we’ve been telling you, Scientology is hopping mad about it.
So naturally, they’re reaching back into their same old playbook.
In our 1999 story, we explained that because Berry is gay, the famously homophobic church had sent out a disgraced former cop to pretend he was on an active police investigation into sexual accusations about Berry. And now, more than 20 years later, Scientology is doing the same thing again, this time sending out a disgraced former reporter to ask Berry’s friends if they’ve felt “sexually threatened” by him.
It’s classic stuff. And Berry wanted the court to know about it.
On March 15, there was a hearing in Valerie Haney’s lawsuit, which has been forced by the court into Scientology’s version of “religious arbitration.” In the hearing, we learned that Scientology now has all three arbitrators in place, and Judge Gail Killefer has given the two sides six months to accomplish the arbitration and come back to her with its results.
In the meantime, Scientology had filed for sanctions against Haney because they were livid that Berry had gotten so involved, and had put some things into a court document (like a declaration by Mike Rinder), that they found “improper, unreliable, or inadmissible.” They asked the court to sanction Berry for his filing to the tune of $107,832.50.
Berry answered that motion for sanctions with his own broadside, but then, during the March 15 hearing, he made a remarkable concession. If you were reading our contemporary notes of the meeting, you remember what he did: Since the arbitration was set and there was nothing else to argue about in court, he offered to take back the document that had so enraged Scientology if they would drop the request for sanctions.
The judge was clearly in favor of this, and asked both sides to make the submissions necessary to accomplish it. Berry then filed a motion to withdraw his previous submission. But in it, he also happened to mention that he’s now the subject of a Scientology Fair Game attack, and attached the messages about Blosser that he’d received from his friends.
Hoo boy. Scientology attorneys William Forman and Matthew Hinks have blown a gasket over it.
While the Request purports to withdraw the offending submissions to avoid Defendants’ sanctions motion, it contains improper argument and irrelevant and inadmissible material. For instance, the Request argues that “sanctions would have been unauthorized” and Defendants’ “Sanctions Motion would have been subject to a potential cross-motion for sanctions.” Yet, the entire purpose of the submission should be to avoid adjudication of the sanctions motion, and not attempt to litigate it. The Request further claims that Defendant is currently engaged in “Fair Game” activity against Graham Berry…
As a result, the Scientology attorneys are not taking back their motion for sanctions and have asked that it be heard on June 20 as originally scheduled.
When we saw that Berry had put Blosser’s name in an official court document, we figured it was about time to go public with what we knew about him, and do what he never did while he was investigating us: We gave him a call.
The Bunker: Is it true that you’re writing for Freedom magazine?
John Blosser: I have.
The Bunker: Are you working on an article for Freedom about Graham Berry?
Blosser: Yes.
The Bunker: How’s the pay at Scientology?
Blosser: I’m not going to answer that.
The Bunker: I guess you had a problem at the Enquirer?
Blosser: No, not really. Wasn’t my problem.
The Bunker: Working for the Church of Scientology. Isn’t that the bottom of the barrel?
Blosser: I decline to answer.
Well, we thanked him for taking our call. And we are happy finally to name him and warn others that if John Blosser calls, he’s working for the Church of Scientology. What a legacy.
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“The delusions of children and death delusions are quite similar. When a person dies and starts to pull out of that body, he generally snaps in on himself a torrent of facsimiles of one kind or another. He has all sorts of weird things that go ‘boomp in the night’ present themselves at that moment. And very often you get a preclear who is suffering merely from the death shock. And he is psychotic, he’s crazy, he doesn’t know whether he is coming or going. Why? Because he’s surrounded by things he cannot understand — and that is the common denominator of all lack of orientation, of all aberration. It’s being surrounded by things you cannot understand. And a child, surrounded by these things he cannot understand, therefore can produce what we call childhood delusions. But I can’t find any real difference between these childhood delusions and the delusions being suffered by a person about to die or a person in an asylum.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1957
——————–
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.
——————–
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
“I’m not down on religion. I believe in religion, except I don’t believe in limited religion. If we’re going to have two gods let’s worship two gods, that’s all. If we’ve got to have worship of gods, let’s at least worship the minimum number allowable in this universe. Now, let’s not fool around with this religion, tell people what they can’t do with religion and what they can do with religion. We’ve just got religion — if we’re going to have religion, then let’s be honest with it and look and see and find this to be the case: that everybody who starts worshiping one god and one god only, and shaping his pathway straight toward one god and only one god and good, and it’s good, and that’s all we can have anything to do with is good, winds up bad. Ever know any minister’s sons?” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 23, 1953
——————–
“Had a good break today on Research. Cracked why one can’t be audited after exteriorization so one can. Will push OT ability up out of sight. I do get my own hats worn despite randomity!” — The Commodore, March 23, 1970
——————–
“Isn’t science fiction surely just science that hasn’t yet been developed, discovered and refined? Almost all of the technology we take for granted now has appeared in some form or another in sci-fi works before, and it’s definitely the case that sci-fi writers have been critical to introducing the ideas that inspire scientists to create amazing things. Some of the sci-fi writers were originally physicists, engineers and industrial chemists. Therefore, is it no surprise that the development of spirituality from being a series of myths and monsters into a systematised and evidence-based approach should have been made by a sci-fi writer? I would say it is because of, and not in spite of, that.”
——————–
1998: Following the recent Boston Herald series on Scientology, the St. Petersburg Times carried an article on Scientology’s investigation of the writer of the series, Joseph Mallia. “Church officials say their lawyers have hired a firm to investigate Joseph Mallia, a Boston Herald reporter who recently wrote a five-part series that raised questions about church practices. The investigation conflicts with statements made in 1994 by a top church official Kurt Weiland, who handles international legal affairs for Scientology. During an interview at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the St. Petersburg Times asked Weiland and church president Heber C. Jentzsch about the practice of investigating reporters. Weiland responded, ‘First of all, we don’t do that.’ He added: ‘There’s no institutional or organized campaign or effort or action ongoing to go after a reporter.’ Asked this week to explain the contradiction, Weiland said the church deals with adverse news reports on a case-by-case basis. He said Mallia’s articles were inaccurate and the church was trying to uncover what ‘sinister motive’ he had and what ‘vested interest’ he was working for. ‘It’s not a personal thing,’ Weiland said. ‘Every time a reporter steps out of his way to create damage to the church…then, of course, it’s gloves off.’ ‘No one I know goes so far as to hire outsiders to harass or try to get intimidating data on critics,’ said the Rev. Robert W. Thornburg, dean of March Chapel at Boston University and an expert on destructive religious practices. ‘Scientology is the only crowd that does that.'”
——————–
“I remember growing up in the 60’s, and this idea that all of our problems were due to suppressed subconscious desires or traumatic incidents we had ‘forgotten,’ and if some psych could make us remember we would be miraculously whole and normal again like Liz Taylor, was the concept that was being pushed on everyone. Hubbard just took the bullshit and ran with it.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Mistrial declared November 30. Retrial scheduled, jury selection begins March 29. Next pretrial hearing: Feb 16.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing Feb 13.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next status conference Feb 13.
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 November 17 to argue the arbitration motions, awaiting ruling.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: March 15, 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 February 7.
— 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.
——————–
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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] An insider’s report on David Miscavige at Scientology founder’s birthday event 2022
[TWO years ago] Danny Masterson accusers take Scientology ‘arbitration’ to California Supreme Court
[THREE years ago] The wealthy donors keeping Scientology in business, New Year’s 2020 edition
[FOUR years ago] Carol Es on 20 years in Scientology: ‘You’re programmed to think emotions are weak’
[FIVE years ago] Stop interacting with Scientology’s Internet trolls. Here’s proof it can backfire on you badly.
[SIX years ago] State investigators fired for blowing the whistle on Scientology’s rehabs get hearing in Denver
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology attorney Bert Deixler takes another swing at Karen de la Carriere
[EIGHT years ago] ‘Going Clear’: Mike Rinder helps us understand a Scientology document that will creep you out
[NINE years ago] Three weeks out of Scientology: Fresh information from a ‘blown’ Sea Org member
[TEN years ago] Blood Brother Ron: Starting Out Life on the Wrong Blackfoot
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology on the High Seas: Posing as Archaeology Students for the Sardinians
——————–
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 2,977 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,482 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,032 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,022 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,913 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,217 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,088 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,193 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,670 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,982 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,548 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,467 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,635 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,216 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,477 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,513 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,229 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,793 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,108 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,283 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,834 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,965 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,303 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,158 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,277 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,633 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,936 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,042 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,440 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,316 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,899 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,394 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,648 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,757 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on March 23, 2023 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, 1995-2022 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
