| The Underground Bunker

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]

Now with no restrictions: Our podcast series on the Scientology docuseries that never aired

In June, we started our experiment with Substack and asked readers to sign up for free emails so our stories would come right to your inboxes. Less than three months later, we now have more than triple the subscriber base we did previously, and you’ve all helped us reach a much larger […]

AUDIO: Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan says Rizza Islam is accused of ‘horrible charge’

[Rizza and Farrakhan in happier times]

This week we heard from multiple current and former Nation of Islam members who told us that on Wednesday they were called in for an all-hands ‘Believers’ Meeting’ at their local mosques in order to view a video address from leader Louis […]

Court agrees to issue summons for Scientology leader David Miscavige in trafficking lawsuit

[Playing keepaway: David Miscavige in 2017, photo from his own website]

Tampa federal Judge Thomas Barber has agreed that Scientology leader David Miscavige has been evading service in a major new labor trafficking lawsuit that was filed in April, and he has given the plaintiffs a court summons they were asking […]

PODCAST: Paulette Cooper has been exposing Scientology’s abuses for more than 50 years

[Paulette Cooper in 1967, before all the trouble started]

This week at the podcast, we’re coming back around to why we created the Underground Bunker to begin with. In 2012, we began working on a book that eventually gained the title The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, and we created our website in order to make sure the […]

Elisabeth Moss declines Valerie Haney’s nomination as arbitrator, says Scientology

[Valerie Haney and Elisabeth Moss]

Valerie Haney has finally heard back from Scientology’s “International Justice Chief,” a Sea Org official named Mike Ellis, who has informed her that Elisabeth Moss has turned down the opportunity to serve as an arbitrator in Valerie’s “religious […]

Hey, Dublin: Want to see some Scientology child abuse?

We’re sure that the parents who recorded the video we have for you today are very proud of what it shows. Their son, whose name we couldn’t quite catch but that we’re glad isn’t clear anyway, gives a short “graduation” speech this past Friday at the Dublin Scientology Ideal Org and for them it is […]

Scientology will try to derail new labor trafficking lawsuit with ‘arbitration’ strategy

[Plaintiff Valeska Paris and the Freewinds]

Scientology is still several days away from its deadline to make its first answer to the major new labor trafficking lawsuit that was filed against the church in April, but in a new court document, Scientology’s attorneys have revealed that they will be using their favorite strategy to try and […]

Trafficking lawsuit: In Scientology, the tables turn quickly on abusers and the abused

[The new lawsuit focuses on hellish tales from Scientology’s cruise ship by Valeska Paris and others]

One of the really remarkable things about the new labor trafficking lawsuit filed against the Church of Scientology is that its 88-page complaint names so many […]

Danny Masterson’s rape prosecutors tell Calif. Supremes why his Scientology argument is weak

[Danny Masterson and his criminal prosecutor, Deputy DA Reinhold Mueller]

On April 3, we told you about the petition that Danny Masterson’s legal team had made to the California Supreme Court, hoping to find a way to stop (or at least delay) his criminal rape trial, which is scheduled for August 29. (He’s accused of forcibly […]

Here’s the new labor trafficking lawsuit against Scientology: Dive in!

[Valeska Paris, in the Sea Org]

Well, we chose a great day for a long bike ride to have lunch with an old friend. While we were out, a new lawsuit was filed in Tampa and covered by Tracey McManus at the Tampa Bay Times and Ben Schneiders at the Sydney Morning […]

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