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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NARCONON EXPOSED: Scientology’s flagship drug rehab facility is struggling, records show

The Underground Bunker has obtained internal financial records from Scientology’s flagship drug rehab facility in Oklahoma — known as Narconon Arrowhead — which show the toll that recent deaths, multiple lawsuits, and a drumbeat of bad press has taken on the treatment center.

At its website, Scientology says that the Narconon network has 155 centers and []

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The Garcias take one more shot at Scientology before their fraud suit will live or die

We’ve been telling you that Luis and Rocio Garcia are nearing another important date in the life of their federal fraud lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. They’ve asked to drop three Scientology entities as defendants in the case, and they’ve asked Judge James Whittemore permission to file an amended complaint (which they have submitted, []

Convicted of fraud by France’s highest court, Scientology still pursues creative appeals

Our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, has another dispatch for us about developments with Scientology in France. Take it away, Jonny…

In the interest of tying up loose ends, here are a couple of items, both fall-out from France’s definitive conviction of Scientology for organised fraud last year.

The first deals with Scientology’s latest attempt to persuade []

Easter Sunday Funnies: David Miscavige has risen, & Scientology has more money than ever!

Hey kids, happy Easter Sunday! We have a selection of treats for you to hunt down this morning, and we’re starting off with another surprising tax document that shows the astounding wealth of the Church of Scientology!

Jeffrey Augustine has been helping us find these gems, and he tells us this one is hot off the []

Is Google aiding a Scientology front group that claims the Holocaust was caused by psychiatry?

We contacted Google’s media relations as soon as we saw what former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder posted to his blog yesterday. It was a mailer from the Orange County chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), the Scientology front group that advocates against the psychiatric profession.

The mailer claimed that CCHR Orange County had []

The rising business star, his mother, and Scientology’s attempt to rip them apart

On April 1, a story at Forbes.com caught us by surprise.

It was about a man named Aaron Smith-Levin, who made a living in an unusual way. Forbes writer Nathan Vardi explained that Smith-Levin was becoming known for the complex and deep research he did for hedge fund managers who desire intelligence about companies they might []

Leah Remini ‘Fair Gamed’ by Scientology? Her sister gets a visit, and Tony Dovolani is tailed

Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani, during their run on DWTS

In her public appearances since she left Scientology last summer, actress Leah Remini has talked about losing many longtime friends who were ordered by the church to “disconnect” from her and her family.

She’s talked about how stunning it was to see how quickly people []

Scientology takes aim at the latest move by the Garcias in their federal fraud suit

More than a year ago, Luis and Rocio Garcia filed a federal fraud lawsuit against five Scientology corporate entities, alleging that while the Garcias were in the church, they were defrauded as they were constantly hit up for donations.

When the lawsuit was filed in January 2013, it seemed like a landmark case — many former []

Jefferson Hawkins helps us understand Scientology’s L Rundowns!

With the help of experts like Claire Headley and Bruce Hines, we’ve been taking a journey to train as Scientologists. Claire spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Bruce was in Scientology for 31 years and spent about half that time as a senior case supervisor. []

Scientology litigation always has surprises: A new wrinkle from Narconon’s attorneys

We’ve been keeping an eye on Ryan Hamilton’s lawsuits against Scientology’s Narconon drug rehab facilities in part because they’re so thorough. The Las Vegas attorney has obviously done his homework, and in the complaints he’s filed, he lays out the history of Narconon and its many deceptions with detailed citations. With references to testimony in []