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 We just confirmed with a clerk at the Pinellas County, Florida circuit court that Denise Gentile — who was facing DUI and pot possession charges — pleaded guilty today to the lesser charge of reckless driving, and agreed to attend DUI school and pay several court costs and fines.
Last week, the Tampa Bay Times reported that on January 22, Gentile was arrested as she was driving her Dodge Durango erratically outside a rental property she owned. Under the driver’s seat was found a black vinyl bag with nine marijuana “blunts,” and Gentile was found to have a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit. Continue reading Scientology Leader’s Twin, Denise Gentile, Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge, Pays Fines
 Leah, her mother Vicki, and daughter Sofia On Friday, we reported that we’d received a tip King of Queens actress Leah Remini had left the Church of Scientology in an angry fit. We asked our tipsters for more information, and we got it. Over the weekend, we were contacted by several sources with detailed inside knowledge who tell us Remini is breaking away because of the way leader David Miscavige is treating church members, Sea Org workers, and Scientology itself. According to our sources, Remini has been distancing herself from what she refers to as the church’s “corrupt management” for a few years. And it started with a dramatic scene. Continue reading SCIENTOLOGY CELEBRITY REBELLION: Leah Remini Dared to Ask, “Where’s Shelly?”
 Joe Reaiche, in his playing days The Underground Bunker has teamed with Australia’s biggest-selling magazine, Woman’s Day, to bring you a report that should send some reverberations through Scientology celebrity culture. In its newest edition, which hit store shelves in Australia a few hours ago, Woman’s Day has published a photograph taken last month showing actress Alanna Masterson, 24, and the son of Tom Cruise, Connor, 18, on a recent lunch date. The magazine and the Bunker teamed up to ask Alanna’s father, Joe Reaiche, for his thoughts on his daughter spending time with Connor. Reaiche is a former Australian rugby star who now lives on Long Island. When he left Scientology behind in 2005, his entire family cut off ties with him, including Alanna and her half-brother, That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson. Reaiche’s views on Alanna spending time with Connor Cruise were not very salutary. Continue reading Alanna Masterson’s Dad Calls Connor Cruise “Worst Person in the World” for Her to Date Advertisement
 If you’re like us, there’s truly nothing more inspiring than watching Scientologists talk about how much they love Scientology.
And we’ve never been quite so inspired than we were after watching a new video of rapid-fire testimonials by dozens of Scientologists who have been fully stoked by the Golden Age of Knowledge. If you’re not really up on Scientology lingo, don’t despair. Because after watching this seven-minute video, things really won’t be any clearer. But surely, you’ll get a contact high from these enthusiastic folks talking about their big wins on Ron’s wisdom. Continue reading Sunday Funnies VIDEO: Watch Scientologists Who are Fully Stoked!
 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He now has a new edition of the book out, and on Saturdays he’s helping us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet.
This week, Jon sent us some thoughts about books written by people who had left Scientology and then described their experiences. We were pleased to see him single out for praise a book that we’ve also held in high esteem. Continue reading Best Account of Life in Scientology? Jon Atack Makes the Case for Counterfeit Dreams
 Recently, we got a tip from one of our better sources that Leah Remini had left Scientology in an angry fit.
We didn’t have any more details, but we knew that the King of Queens actress was in a family of Scientologists, including her husband Angelo Pagán, who is a Los Angeles restaurateur. We put in a call to Pagán, and he was kind enough to call us back. No, he told us, what we’d heard was incorrect. Neither he or his wife were angry with the church, and even if they were, he said, that would be something they would work out with the church itself. We appreciated his candor, and wished him well. But since that call several weeks ago, we’ve seen more and more circumstantial evidence that tells us Remini has washed her hands of the church. Continue reading Has Leah Remini Left the Church of Scientology?
 Here in the U.S., it’s a special day. We hope our American readers have found a relaxing way to celebrate the independence of this great nation.
We have a full day planned here in the bunker, and so we’re hoping to turn things over to you on this holiday. We’d love to hear from the former members of the Church of Scientology who read this blog: Please tell us about your own declaration of independence. Continue reading The Declaration of Independence: When Did You Join the Sons of Liberty?
 Acting on a tip from a parent that was posted over at WhyWeProtest.net, we contacted a former teacher at New Village Leadership Academy to ask if the school in Calabasas, California has shut its doors permanently.
He said that it has, and forwarded us to a Facebook message that was posted on June 28 by Eva Sanchez, who worked at the school: “Today, I closed a beautiful beautiful book full of great people, wonderful memories & endless stories that I will never forget. Tough day!” We have confirmed directly with a member of the academy’s board of directors that the school has closed down. The school achieved notoriety for having been supported by generous donations from actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, whose children attended classes there (but haven’t for some time). Tax records show that the Smiths also were on the school’s board of directors. New Village Leadership Academy was a non-profit, independent school for kindergarten through sixth grade. Continue reading Will Smith-Backed School That Used Scientology Materials Closes Its Doors
Back in 2007, when John Sweeney of the BBC (right) came to Los Angeles to film an episode of Panorama entitled “Scientology and Me,” he was treated rather roughly by the church’s two top media handlers, Tommy Davis (left) and a gaunt-looking Mike Rinder, who had just been plucked out of “The Hole” for assignment after more than a year on thin slop and sleeping under desks at the church’s bizarre ecclesiastical office-prison. Now, for the first time, Rinder, who left Scientology not too long after this photo was taken, has fired a broadside directly at his former colleague, telling Davis that it’s time he started spilling his guts about abuse he witnessed in the church. Continue reading Scientology Grudge Match: Tommy Davis Gets Called Out By Mike Rinder
 After failing with multiple appeals to the California and U.S. Supreme Courts to prevent it, today the Church of Scientology complied with a lower court order and turned over 18,000 pages of documents to former church employee Laura DeCrescenzo.
She will now begin a process of reviewing the electronic files to see if they’re complete. The church, meanwhile, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to review the court order, but that may take many months and odds are against the court even considering it. DeCrescenzo first filed suit against Scientology in 2009 after working as a member of its “Sea Org” for twelve years. She’s alleging that she suffered a number of abuses during that time, including a forced abortion when she was only 17. She has now been handed a huge trove of documents from her confessional “pc files” which may help bolster her case. Continue reading Scientology Turns Over Documents, Laura DeCrescenzo Begins Process to Review Them
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We just confirmed with a clerk at the Pinellas County, Florida circuit court that Denise Gentile — who was facing DUI and pot possession charges — pleaded guilty today to the lesser charge of reckless driving, and agreed to attend DUI school and pay several court costs and fines.
