Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
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Nxivm leader Keith Raniere: FBI had warrant for 2015, but child porn images from 2005

[Keith Raniere]

Nxivm leader Keith Raniere has already successfully kept child sexual assault and child porn charges severed from his upcoming trial. Can he keep the evidence of those child porn images out of the trial as []

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It’s an anniversary of shame for Scientology: Will they go for a repeat?

[Taryn Teutsch at Denim Day last year]

One year ago, Scientology took its disingenuous attacks on Mike Rinder to a new level when his estranged daughter, Taryn Teutsch, tried to co-opt the message at the Denim Day rally in Los []

Jehovah’s Witnesses try to intimidate Mark O’Donnell, and it doesn’t go well for them

[Elders visit the O’Donnells after their Atlantic magazine appearance]

Mark O’Donnell (a/k/a ex-JW activist John Redwood) and his wife Kimmy were featured in a major Atlantic magazine piece last month about the coverup of child abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization. And now, the organization has struck back. Here’s what Mark posted about it today on []

NXIVM: Prosecutors will paint picture of Keith Raniere’s interest in young girls

[Keith Raniere]

More trouble for Nxivm leader Keith Raniere emerged yesterday as jury selection began in a trial that will feature him as the sole defendant now that the others, including Smallville actress Allison Mack, have pleaded []

Brad Pitt’s Scientology adventure: The sauna, the auditing, the… lizard?

[Juliette Lewis and Brad Pitt in 1991]

Sunny Pereira asks how we’re going to angle this story, and we tell her that it’s really up to her. It’s something she experienced — how would she angle []

NXIVM: Prosecutors ask judge to protect victims and guard against jury nullification

[Judge Nicholas Garaufis and Keith Raniere]

Now that Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman got her sweet deal and Nxivm bookkeeper Kathy Russell got her slap on the wrist, the government is making final preparations for its showdown with Nxivm leader Keith []

Where is Scientology dying most Ideally? Could it be our neighbor to the north?

 All the Scientology propaganda in the world, pumped out through leader David Miscavige’s fancy TV station and a million fliers, can’t make up for the reality that Scientology is dying — and in some places, it’s going quickly. Our thanks to Phil Jones, who sent in this report from on location in our great neighbor []

Scientology’s mad real estate splurge has real consequences for its indentured workers

[Westfield House, Scotland’s future Ideal Org]

The quest to completely replace old Scientology org buildings with new quarters continues, and the consequences can be severe for some members caught up in the project. []

Hunter comes up with genius way to increase his kill, gets slapped by the feds

 You know, it’s really considerate of ranchers in places like Texas to raise exotic species from overseas so hunters can kill them. It’s just a lot more convenient to shoot a blackbuck, also known as an Indian antelope, without flying all the way over to the []

With Clare and Kathy out, Nxivm leader Keith Raniere faces sex slavery trial alone

[Keith Raniere]

Yesterday, we covered the big breaking news that Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman and bookkeeper Kathy Russell both entered guilty pleas just a few weeks before trial is to begin in the Nxivm prosecution. That leaves only Nxivm leader Keith Raniere left to stand trial beginning May 7. []