We first spoke to Joe Reaiche in 2013 for a story here at the Underground Bunker. Then in 2020, after Danny Masterson was charged by the DA’s office with criminal charges, we turned to him again for some background on Danny’s upbringing.
That’s because Joe is in a unique position: For ten years he was stepfather to Danny Masterson (That ‘70s Show) and his brother Christopher Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle) during crucial years in their childhoods, and Joe is also the biological father of their half-siblings, Jordan Masterson (Last Man Standing) and Alanna Masterson (The Walking Dead).
We spoke to Joe about that background with the Masterson family, as well as what led him to leave Scientology in 2005, when his children Jordan and Alanna (and his former stepkids Danny and Chris) cut off ties with him and have stayed away ever since under the Scientology practice called “disconnection.”
We have said in the past that Jordan and Alanna’s attendance on most days during the first and second trials of their brother Danny was maybe the most visible advertisement for Scientology in the courtroom. They had cut off all ties with their own father merely because he had left the organization.
They were walking advertisements for how Scientology rips families apart.
But we wondered, how will Scientology react to Danny Masterson’s conviction, and how will it treat this large loyal clan of dedicated members going forward? We thought Joe might have some interesting thoughts about that, and he did.
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Technology Cocktail
“A person has to discover he can’t be you before he steals your things without credit. When he discovers he still isn’t you, he damns you to all. He finally cannot be you, so he wastes you. And thus the DEI Scale of beingness is completed. One answer to this is never be a desirable you. And never get famous. A far better answer is to understand it, for by understanding alone you can prevent it.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1958
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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?
[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 [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney
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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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2000: Canoe newspaper service reported that John Travolta dislikes questions about Scientology. “While on a press junket in Barcelona Spain to promote his latest film ‘Battlefield Earth’ which is based on the book by L. Ron Hubbard who founded the church, Travolta had a confrontation with a French journalist. The journalist asked Travolta why the religion wasn’t mentioned in ‘Battlefield’s’ press kit and then asked about funding for the Church of Scientology. Travolta was apparently unhappy with the line of questioning and claimed he was being ‘trapped’ by the interviewer who in turn had his video tapes confiscated for ‘verification’. When the tapes were returned, they were blank.”
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“There’s no shortage of angry disaffected white people in this country. It’s scary.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for June 26 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs asking permission for interlocutory appeal.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— 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 June 28.
— 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] What Scientology’s nutty ‘OT 3’ — the Xenu tale — taught one member about Sea Org slavery
[TWO years ago] Not only did Scientology get PPP loans: Check out these Scientologists who got bailouts too!
[THREE years ago] Kirstie Alley lets her Scientology hang out and fans react with predictable hilarity
[FOUR years ago] Reader, can you help this father who wants to keep his son out of Scientology?
[FIVE years ago] The US government continues to fret over how other countries treat Scientology
[SIX years ago] Scientology to federal court: A judge calling our members directly? Are you nuts?
[SEVEN years ago] ‘Ross & Carrie’ conclude their Scientology investigation by calling it ‘ridiculously creepy’
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology routed: What the national press hasn’t figured out about the Trout Run defeat
[NINE years ago] Federal judge again declines to intervene for Ken Dandar, but leaves a door open
[TEN years ago] L. Ron Hubbard Intends to Rid You Of a 43-Trillion-Year-Old Implant. What Was That Like?
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Wins a Major Award Again! Galaxy Press Vindicated!
[TWELVE 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 3,049 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,554 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,104 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,094 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,985 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,289 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,160 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,265 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,712 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,054 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,620 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,539 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,706 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,288 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,549 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,585 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,301 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,865 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,180 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,355 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,906 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,037 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,375 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,230 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,349 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,705 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 7,008 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,114 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,512 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,388 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,971 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,466 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,720 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,829 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 3, 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 (2012-2022), 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
