Tony Ortega's Blog, page 334
April 13, 2021
Yeehaw! Lin Wood added to Dallas lineup for biggest Q gathering ever
Some links to Q-related items today…
While the country wrestles with racial conflicts, Q patriots remain consistent.
Can’t people see that all of Trump’s moves were a savvy way to defeat underground ET sex farms?
Dallas is going to be huge.
With organiser "QAnon John" confirming the addition of Lin Wood and Patrick Byrne to the keynote speaker line-up alongside Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, "For God & Country Patriot Roundup", scheduled May 28-31 in Dallas, is shaping up to be the biggest QAnon gathering yet. pic.twitter.com/zvPB24BqwV
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) April 12, 2021
Pretty much.
— Old Person Online (@OldPersonOnline) April 12, 2021
Jim’s doubling down.
Oh neat Facebook approved Jim Watkins' QAnon super PAC's Facebook page to run political ads. https://t.co/b5YRLxRYyZ pic.twitter.com/bI2NaiaUMn
— Erin Gallagher (@3r1nG) April 13, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 13, 2021 at 7:50
Scientology chiro Jay Spina sentenced to 9 years for case that made judge’s ‘blood boil’
[UPDATE: Saying the case made his blood boil and that he wanted to send a message about how much Jay Spina’s fraudulent scheme had betrayed the health care system, Judge Kenneth Karas sentenced the chiropractor to 9 years in prison today, almost the maximum of what prosecutors had been asking for. It was a dramatic day in court, and we’ll post a full report about it below.]
More than a year after it was first scheduled, the sentencing of Middletown, New York chiropractor Jay Spina is slated to happen today at the federal courthouse in White Plains. We are hoping to attend the proceeding and give you an account of it as soon as possible. (Electronic devices are not allowed in federal court, so we won’t be able to live-blog it as it is happening.)
We’re very curious to see what sentence Judge Kenneth M. Karas hands down today. Spina’s attorneys have worked hard to minimize his crimes, and letters have poured in from friends and family supporting him and asking for leniency. But the feds are asking the judge to sentence Spina to ten years in prison not only for using elaborate ruses to rip off Medicare, but also for what a house of horrors his clinic was.
We first learned in 2018 that Spina and his brother Jeff were being charged for an $80 million Medicare scam that they ran out of their Middletown clinic. The facility went by several names, but most often as Dolman Avenue Medical (DAM) during the period under investigation. Two others who worked at DAM were also charged, one of whom was their sister Kim Spina. Separately, a physician who worked out of the clinic, Dr. Charles Bagley, pleaded guilty to fraud.
The Spina brothers are longtime Scientologists who gave a lot of money and time to Scientology front groups like the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. And as you can see in the image above, Jay Spina was celebrated by Scientology leader David Miscavige for his service.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});According to the government’s initial press release about the charges, the Spina brothers used elaborate plots to hide their involvement in the scam, but multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to investigate and uncover their crimes. Then, in a pre-sentencing document, prosecutors asked for a 10-year sentence, and detailed stunning allegations of wrongdoing.
To help hide what they were up to, the Spina brothers ran at least nine different corporate entities out of the DAM facility, and used other owner-physicians as fronts. When one of those physicians died in 2017, they panicked that their ruse would be exposed. They then concocted an illegal stock transfer to put the company that had been in the dead physician’s name into Bagley’s name.
The reason for having so many fictional businesses, the document explains, was that they could separately bill Medicare multiple times for the same patient. And Jay Spina had prepared scripts for the physicians fronting the separate companies, instructing them what to say if they were asked about it.
Prosecutors also accused Jay Spina of pushing risky pain injections on patients, and relying on Bagley to administer them, even though Bagley admitted he had used YouTube videos as training for the specialized injections. That reckless behavior resulted in at least one patient death. And when the son of the woman who died tried to complain, Spina unleashed a very Scientology-like retaliation campaign on him.
“Spina knew that his patients were getting harmed, yet he continued to encourage his doctor to continue on with the damaging treatment. The betrayal of Spina’s role as a medical practitioner and the harm he caused are dispositive factors in this case. We believe a lengthy prison sentence is warranted in order to provide justice to the victim, punishment to the defendant, and to communicate a message of general deterrence to others that this type of behavior is intolerable,” the prosecutors wrote.
Will Jay Spina get that kind of message today? We’ll let you know as soon as we can.
OUR REPORT FROM THE COURTROOM
Wow, what a day in court. Easily one of the most interesting we’ve ever witnessed as Jay Spina’s high-priced attorney tried to convince the court to give him a slap on the wrist of 18 to 24 months in prison, but Judge Karas was in no mood for it, repeatedly expressing his displeasure, and even saying at one point that the case made his blood boil. And in particular, what seemed to bother Karas most was the part of the case we would say was most Scientological — the way Spina tried to retaliate against the son of a woman who died at his clinic.
OK, here’s how it went.
When we arrived at the federal district court in White Plains and prepared to run the security gauntlet, we were surprised to see that Jay Spina was right in front of us, going through the metal detector.
We knew he was tall, but wow. What a beanpole. Towering way above 6 feet and very slender, and the thing that really threw us, he was beaming. He even looked right at us with his big grin.
Once we got through the detector and went upstairs, we saw him again, this time with the supporters that had come to court, which included both family members and patients. There was no other word for it, Spina was bouyant. Was he just naturally this unaffected, or did he know something about what was about to go down?
The court was observing social distancing, so only 12 of us were allowed in once the doors were opened up. As far as we could tell, we were the only one taking notes.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Jay came up and greeted the man sitting a couple of rows ahead of us, who apparently was a patient there to show his support. “How’s your back?” Jay asked him with a grin and a handshake.
Defense attorney Michael Burke was there with his client, while for the prosecution there was Nicholas Bradley from the US Attorney’s Office, as well as an FBI agent and a couple of others representing New York state agencies…
Judge Karas arrived and let them know that he had read all of the many submissions, which not only included hundreds of letters from Spina’s supporters but also some 75 videos recorded by his patients expressing their admiration for him. (And as the hearing went on, it was clear that Karas was extremely well versed in all of the evidence of this case. Impressively so.)
In a case like this, a lot of elements go into a sentence, and the judge explained that both sides were in agreement with all of the various things that went into it, including various “enhancements,” except for one. There was still disagreement over whether the government could show a minimum of $1 million in fraud specifically from Medicare, which would add another enhancement to the sentence.
When Spina was first arrested, the government accused him of $80 million in Medicare fraud, but in the couple of years since then, and as part of his plea deal, the two sides had settled on agreeing that there had been $3.5 to $9.5 million in losses. But how much of that was specifically from Medicare? This is what they would now argue about.
Burke, representing Spina, now started laying out a scenario he would come back to again and again today, that Dolson Avenue Medical had delivered good health care to thousands of patients, and that the care delivered under Medicare had been for post-surgery patients who had been referred by outside doctors.
The government and the judge both expressed some real frustration at this characterization, but after going back and forth a few times, the judge decided to be conservative and say that he was not going to add the Medicare enhancement. In the end, we don’t think it mattered much anyway.
But the pattern was set: Spina’s attorney was doing his best to minimize the crime, maximize the idea that good health care was delivered, and the judge and prosecutor were both not having it….
The next argument lofted by Burke was that the “fraud loss” was an unfair indicator. What he was saying was that Spina should be judged by the kind of crime, rather than the amount it represented. Wow. Talk about privilege. Yeah, this is just a simple robbery, officer, just ignore that the thief literally got away with MILLIONS. That shouldn’t matter.
Amazing. And he cited other cases, claiming that it made sense to ignore the dollar amounts and sentence his client to only a couple of years or less. He cited cases from zero time in prison up to a year.
And again, he wanted the judge to believe that this was a minor technicality in billing.
When we realized that Spina was in real trouble, however, is when Judge Karas had had enough of Burke’s excuses and pulled out an email from the case which showed how Spina had set up sophisticated nesting businesses so he and doctors could refer patients to each other and double bill them.
“You’re interested in surgery, we’re interested in physical therapy. But if we can work together as a team…” Spina had written in one of the emails.
It was a smoking gun, and Karas repeatedly referred to the email, sounding astonished by it.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Things were not going well for Spina…
As much as Burke kept trying to bring it back to confusion about billing, Judge Karas kept reminding him that the case was about kickbacks, unnecessary claims, and falsification of documents.
Karas was making prosecutor Bradley’s points for him better than Bradley himself.
And it was becoming obvious that the sentencing enhancement that most moved Karas was the one that added on time because the fraudulent scheme had put people at risk of death.
Yeah, uh, that did seem pretty important…
In the end, Judge Karas allowed Burke to go on for more than an hour, and it had all seemed to be for nothing.
Burke finally moved on to some other things, noting, for example, that Spina was now a single father since his wife had divorced him over this case. (We hadn’t heard that.)
And Burke ended up with his pitch: Ignore federal guidelines and give his client only 18 to 24 months in prison. He cited Jay’s commitment to charity over the years (he didn’t bring up Scientology’s front groups), and said that even since Jay was arrested he’s continued to do hundreds of hours of volunteer work at a homeless shelter in Middletown.
And then Burke tried to minimize the death of the patient who received a facet injection in the neck from Dr. Bagley, who had worked at the clinic. (And facet, we learned, is pronounced “fuh-SET”.)
But as soon as Burke tried to do that, saying that it was Bagley who did the injection, not his client, Judge Karas jumped ALL OVER HIM…
“Bagley had no formal training for facet injections, right?” Karas interrupted.
Burke had pushed too far, trying to separate Spina from the Bagley injections, and Karas pushed back.
Not only did Karas remind him that Bagley had no training and had used YouTube videos to learn how to do facet injections, but prosecutor Bradley added that they had interviewed experts who told them not only were facet injections a highly specialized practice, but even the experts were wary of neck injections, the most risky. And here Bagley was doing it after watching YouTube.
After some patients had bad reactions, Spina had pushed Bagley to do even more because they were so lucrative. And then a few weeks later the patient, referred to only as “D.D.” in court, died.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Judge Karas pointed out that when D.D.’s son started making noise about the clinic killing his mother, Spina then hired an attorney to dig up dirt on the guy, and used the same “Better Call Saul” (yes, the judge called him that) who had set up the fraudulent rental businesses that were used to overbill Medicare. (How, we wonder, has that attorney not been disbarred? We’ll have to look into it.)
But Burke just kept pushing, because that’s what Spina was paying the big bucks for…
Now Burke tried to make the point that it was only two times that undercover agents had witnessed fraudulent billing practices.
Karas really didn’t like that. “We’re supposed to believe that the only examples of fraud were when the two undercover agents went in?” He reminded them that they had pleaded guilty and had agreed that the fraud amounted to $3.5 million to $9.5 million. That’s a lot of fraud, he pointed out.
“The question is not was it fraudulent. He’s agreed to between three and nine million in fraud!” the judge said.
During this period they mentioned that the government had seized about $4 million in assets from several of Spina’s retirement accounts — but now that his wife had divorced him, only part of it was his anymore.
When it was the prosecution’s turn (finally!) Bradley got the case back to reality, pointing out that what the federal guidelines and enhancements called for was 9 to 10 years in prison (108 to 120 months)…
Bradley talked about what a calculated, premeditated, and sophisticated crime this was. An incredibly serious offense, and not a technical offense. It was a betrayal of Spina’s profession, his employees, and his patients. Jay Spina was the mastermind of a longstanding scheme, one that undermined confidence in the health care industry.
It was such a difficult crime to unravel, it had taken three different government agencies on the state and federal level to piece together what this family had done.
And the judge chimed in at that point “Somebody’s going to pay these costs,” he said.
We marveled at the judge stepping in to help the prosecutor make his point.
Bradley then went into the injections that had cost D.D. her life. And he said he was troubled that Spina’s attorney was now trying to lay the blame at some lawyers who weren’t even in the case for setting up the complex businesses, and this was after Spina had already pleaded guilty. We thought it was a good point…
In fact, and we thought Bradley was pretty clever here, he wanted Judge Karas to consider Burke’s attempt to minimize the crime as a sign of how much Spina deserved punishment! Wow.
At this point, it was 1 pm and the judge called for a 15 minute break. We got the distinct impression from several people in the courtroom that no one had expected a simple sentencing hearing to last three hours.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Soon, everyone was back in the courtroom. And once again, it was Burke’s turn, this time to respond to what Bradley had said.
Mercifully, he kept it short this time….
Then, the judge asked Spina if he wanted to say something, and Jay said he did.
And what he said, well, it pretty much blew us away.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he said. And he then went on to speak for about 15 minutes, blaming himself for making poor decisions and betraying his family, friends, and patients.
It was a powerful statement of contrition, and one of the things that gave it impact was that his attorney had just spent more than an hour minimizing things. We give Spina credit for having the guts to stand up and take this all on himself.
“I spent years thinking that my generally good intentions would excuse what was going on,” he said.
He talked about being raised by a father who was a chiropractor and whom he admired (and who is still alive, apparently), and how much he had let his father down.
Jay said he had grown up believing that the best thing you can do is to help other people. And he then said that he followed the words of a philosopher who said, “We are as valuable as to how we can help others.”
At that point, we did a double take. Did Jay Spina just quote L. Ron Hubbard right here at his sentencing?
He then apologized to his ex-wife and his two daughters (who were not in the courtroom, as far as we could tell). “I hope they can someday forgive me for what I put their mother through,” he said.
He added that he would dedicate his life to “serving my fellow man,” and said he planned to do more charitable work.
It was a well done statement, no question about it.
So now it was Judge Karas’s turn…
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Karas warmed up by again saying that he had reviewed all of the factors, all of the documents, and all of today’s testimony. He cited the guidelines that he received from higher courts.
He added up the factors. Six years for the base offense. Then various enhancements: The amount of money lost ($3.5 million to $9.5 million); that there were 10 or more victims; that it was a sophisticated scheme; that there was a risk of death or bodily harm for the victims; and that Jay had been the ringleader with at least five accomplices.
All of these added up to a guideline of 108 to 120 months (9 to 10 years). “That’s the math,” Judge Karas said.
This is complicated, he said. He said that Spina had a family history in the health care business. That he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. And that his father must be disappointed in how things turned out.
And Jay clearly has a tremendous amount of support, he said, with videos and letters coming from family members and admirers.
But he said that Jay Spina clearly had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going on.
“I do think that good deeds should be considered. But it’s not the mitigating factor people think it is,” he said about Spina’s charitable works.
“This is not a case where a person says he’s had a tough life. On the contrary. There is no explanation that can explain this conduct other than GREED.”
Whew. And Karas was just winding up….
He described how well thought out the crime was, how long running (seven years at least) and sophisticated.
“This was, ‘What can I do to squeeze the most out of the weaknesses in this system’,” Karas said.
The victims of this crime, he added, were “anybody who gets health care.”
The criminal conduct was what struck him, Karas said. “How expansive this crime was.”
It was multidisciplinary. And it was a lot of money!
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The kickbacks. The injections.
As for those 75 videos submitted by patients supporting Jay?
“D.D. is not in a video, because D.D. is dead.”
And that’s when he said it: “This case boils my blood.”
Whoo boy.
After there were adverse reactions to the injections, it was then that Spina had pushed for more of them, which then resulted in D.D.’s death. And when D.D.’s son raised a stink…
“Spina has the gall to say he has nothing to do with it, and says ‘let’s do some oppo research on the kid.’ That’s what makes this case different,” Karas said.
He said there was a deterrence factor, and this sentencing needed to send a message.
So, the prosecution wanted 108 to 120 months.
Karas said he was taking Spina’s good deeds into consideration, and that’s why he was getting the lower end, 108 months. Nine years in prison.
And restitution? $9.76 million.
Wrapping up, Burke asked for a couple of things for his client. First, he asked that the judge recommend he be sent to “Otisville,” which apparently is some happy camp for white-collar criminals.
And second, he asked that Spina be given until SEPTEMBER to turn himself in to the Bureau of Prisons so that he has time to get vaccinated.
Um, say WHAT?
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He didn’t even have his first jab? No, your honor. Why not?
He hasn’t been eligible.
He’s 63! Judge Karas said.
Yeah, this was malarkey.
He’ll get the standard three months. He will report for prison in JULY, the judge said, and very forcefully.
OK, so one more detail…
Spina’s family and supporters got out of there pretty fast, and then Jay himself began filing out. I positioned myself in the passage leading to the door, smiled at Jay, he smiled at me, and I said, “You quoted a philosopher during your heartfelt statement…”
And then, suddenly, he apparently realized what was going on, mumbled something, the smile left his face, and he walked hurriedly past me.
And so to his back I asked the rest of my question…
“Was that Hubbard?”
Well, what a day. Glad we got to see it. And we thank our readers for being patient and waiting for us to get back to the keyboard to put these notes down.
And hats off to Judge Karas, who didn’t allow himself to be played by Jay Spina’s expensive attorney.
(Update: We’ve heard from several of our experts who all say that yes, Jay Spina did quote Hubbard during his statement today. Um, wow!)
[Judge Kenneth Karas]
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Leah Remini podcast: Chris Shelton, part 2
Says Mike: “This week’s episode is a continuation from last week with Chris Shelton. We take a deep dive into the the “Truth Rundown” and Rehabilitation Project Force, but of course touch upon other things in doing so. If you want to hear more of Chris’ insights, you can tune into his Sensibly Speaking Podcast. There is a wealth of material there.” Listen to the episode here…
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“We are processing as close to definitions as possible. This has always been true in the Advanced Course — in these Clinical Courses. We process as close to definitions as possible. And when we’re right on the button with definitions, we see that space is a viewpoint of dimension, we of course have the basic of any universe. Of any actually created universe, the basic is that there must be somebody there to be the central viewpoint of it. Well, whose postulates would hold in that universe? Of course, the person whose viewpoint it was. That person’s viewpoint would hold. Therefore, we have the god concept. Now, the other things that are manifest here that aren’t mentioned on this data sheet — down here we see the Know to Sex Scale is something that you could use for diagnosis and hasn’t been gone into here very thoroughly. Now, here we have know, look, emote, effort, think, symbols, eating and sex.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 13, 1954
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“GOOD NEWS: Indications are that we will have won the war with Smersh in a year or two. They have lost further ‘prominent leaders.’ We have directly traced and documented their origin to East Germany and have found the crimes they sought to hide. Lesser lights in their ranks are turning to us for guidance. Their network is collapsing under the various stresses to which they have been subjected. They may fight more skirmishes through men they control in govts but it is obvious we will win the war.” — The Commodore, April 13, 1971
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“One of the ideas that Hubbard most frequently said of exteriorization is quite stupid: that a great part of people can exteriorize easily and the rest can easily be audited into it. False. Quite false! I’ve had experiences where I almost come out of my body. Or, once, I had an experience when I woke up floating above my body! But it was startling. And scary. It feels like you’re going to die. This fear is quite common among people. And Hubbard barely mentions it. I also can say I’ve had other experiences where I am expanded, more brilliant, disconnected from case or exteriorized from space or time. Those experiences are also quite recognizable. But they are not ‘exteriorization’ as defined by Scientology. Perhaps the road to exteriorization is to audit out the fear involved, all the bad things going exterior can be associated with, and case linked to it in general. To audit it directly, instead of expecting that general auditing will (for real) get you exterior.”
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1996: The Bakersfield Californian published an article about a bomb suspect involved in Scientology. “[David Lee] Enteman, the ex-Marine police believe blew up his van Feb. 9 – setting himself afire and flinging metal shards over two city blocks – was represented by two Southern California attorneys retained by his father….Detectives believe Enteman was a disgruntled Church of Scientology member who was driving to Southern California [with] the intent to harm church officials. A woman who once dated the defendant told detectives that Enteman ‘felt (church members) were involved in the programming and deprogramming of his mind,’ the woman testified.”
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“Have you ever destroyed a planet with a jim-dandy whizzer?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Next hearing scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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’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] Scientology really reaching in latest attempt to keep Philly lawyers out of Masterson lawsuit
[TWO years ago] Scientology and evolution: The otherwordly experience of reading ‘A History of Man’
[THREE years ago] Returning to Clearwater with a Miscavige cutout and memories of the Lisa McPherson Trust
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s celebrities to the rescue! John Travolta shills while Jenna Elfman melts down
[FIVE years ago] Class action lawsuit against Scientology’s drug rehabs refiled with new plaintiffs
[SIX years ago] If you want the IRS to re-examine Scientology’s tax exempt status, it’s time to get real
[SEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: The Writers of the Future and more success stories!
[EIGHT years ago] The Saga of David Mayo: Scientology’s Banished Tech Wizard
[NINE years ago] Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Websites
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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 2,270 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,774 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,294 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,314 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,205 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,512 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,380 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,154 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,484 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,958 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,274 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,840 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,759 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,927 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,508 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,769 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,807 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,520 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,045 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 400 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,575 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,126 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,275 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,595 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,450 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,569 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,925 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,228 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,334 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,736 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,608 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,191 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,686 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,940 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,049 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 13, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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
Scientology chiro Jay Spina scheduled to be sentenced on Medicare fraud today
More than a year after it was first scheduled, the sentencing of Middletown, New York chiropractor Jay Spina is slated to happen today at the federal courthouse in White Plains. We are hoping to attend the proceeding and give you an account of it as soon as possible. (Electronic devices are not allowed in federal court, so we won’t be able to live-blog it as it is happening.)
We’re very curious to see what sentence Judge Kenneth M. Karas hands down today. Spina’s attorneys have worked hard to minimize his crimes, and letters have poured in from friends and family supporting him and asking for leniency. But the feds are asking the judge to sentence Spina to ten years in prison not only for using elaborate ruses to rip off Medicare, but also for what a house of horrors his clinic was.
We first learned in 2018 that Spina and his brother Jeff were being charged for an $80 million Medicare scam that they ran out of their Middletown clinic. The facility went by several names, but most often as Dolman Avenue Medical (DAM) during the period under investigation. Two others who worked at DAM were also charged, one of whom was their sister Kim Spina. Separately, a physician who worked out of the clinic, Dr. Charles Bagley, pleaded guilty to fraud.
The Spina brothers are longtime Scientologists who gave a lot of money and time to Scientology front groups like the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. And as you can see in the image above, Jay Spina was celebrated by Scientology leader David Miscavige for his service.
According to the government’s initial press release about the charges, the Spina brothers used elaborate plots to hide their involvement in the scam, but multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to investigate and uncover their crimes. Then, in a pre-sentencing document, prosecutors asked for a 10-year sentence, and detailed stunning allegations of wrongdoing.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});To help hide what they were up to, the Spina brothers ran at least nine different corporate entities out of the DAM facility, and used other owner-physicians as fronts. When one of those physicians died in 2017, they panicked that their ruse would be exposed. They then concocted an illegal stock transfer to put the company that had been in the dead physician’s name into Bagley’s name.
The reason for having so many fictional businesses, the document explains, was that they could separately bill Medicare multiple times for the same patient. And Jay Spina had prepared scripts for the physicians fronting the separate companies, instructing them what to say if they were asked about it.
Prosecutors also accused Jay Spina of pushing risky pain injections on patients, and relying on Bagley to administer them, even though Bagley admitted he had used YouTube videos as training for the specialized injections. That reckless behavior resulted in at least one patient death. And when the son of the woman who died tried to complain, Spina unleashed a very Scientology-like retaliation campaign on him.
“Spina knew that his patients were getting harmed, yet he continued to encourage his doctor to continue on with the damaging treatment. The betrayal of Spina’s role as a medical practitioner and the harm he caused are dispositive factors in this case. We believe a lengthy prison sentence is warranted in order to provide justice to the victim, punishment to the defendant, and to communicate a message of general deterrence to others that this type of behavior is intolerable,” the prosecutors wrote.
Will Jay Spina get that kind of message today? We’ll let you know as soon as we can.
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Leah Remini podcast: Chris Shelton, part 2
Says Mike: “This week’s episode is a continuation from last week with Chris Shelton. We take a deep dive into the the “Truth Rundown” and Rehabilitation Project Force, but of course touch upon other things in doing so. If you want to hear more of Chris’ insights, you can tune into his Sensibly Speaking Podcast. There is a wealth of material there.” Listen to the episode here…
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“We are processing as close to definitions as possible. This has always been true in the Advanced Course — in these Clinical Courses. We process as close to definitions as possible. And when we’re right on the button with definitions, we see that space is a viewpoint of dimension, we of course have the basic of any universe. Of any actually created universe, the basic is that there must be somebody there to be the central viewpoint of it. Well, whose postulates would hold in that universe? Of course, the person whose viewpoint it was. That person’s viewpoint would hold. Therefore, we have the god concept. Now, the other things that are manifest here that aren’t mentioned on this data sheet — down here we see the Know to Sex Scale is something that you could use for diagnosis and hasn’t been gone into here very thoroughly. Now, here we have know, look, emote, effort, think, symbols, eating and sex.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 13, 1954
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
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“GOOD NEWS: Indications are that we will have won the war with Smersh in a year or two. They have lost further ‘prominent leaders.’ We have directly traced and documented their origin to East Germany and have found the crimes they sought to hide. Lesser lights in their ranks are turning to us for guidance. Their network is collapsing under the various stresses to which they have been subjected. They may fight more skirmishes through men they control in govts but it is obvious we will win the war.” — The Commodore, April 13, 1971
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“One of the ideas that Hubbard most frequently said of exteriorization is quite stupid: that a great part of people can exteriorize easily and the rest can easily be audited into it. False. Quite false! I’ve had experiences where I almost come out of my body. Or, once, I had an experience when I woke up floating above my body! But it was startling. And scary. It feels like you’re going to die. This fear is quite common among people. And Hubbard barely mentions it. I also can say I’ve had other experiences where I am expanded, more brilliant, disconnected from case or exteriorized from space or time. Those experiences are also quite recognizable. But they are not ‘exteriorization’ as defined by Scientology. Perhaps the road to exteriorization is to audit out the fear involved, all the bad things going exterior can be associated with, and case linked to it in general. To audit it directly, instead of expecting that general auditing will (for real) get you exterior.”
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1996: The Bakersfield Californian published an article about a bomb suspect involved in Scientology. “[David Lee] Enteman, the ex-Marine police believe blew up his van Feb. 9 – setting himself afire and flinging metal shards over two city blocks – was represented by two Southern California attorneys retained by his father….Detectives believe Enteman was a disgruntled Church of Scientology member who was driving to Southern California [with] the intent to harm church officials. A woman who once dated the defendant told detectives that Enteman ‘felt (church members) were involved in the programming and deprogramming of his mind,’ the woman testified.”
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“Have you ever destroyed a planet with a jim-dandy whizzer?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Next hearing scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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’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] Scientology really reaching in latest attempt to keep Philly lawyers out of Masterson lawsuit
[TWO years ago] Scientology and evolution: The otherwordly experience of reading ‘A History of Man’
[THREE years ago] Returning to Clearwater with a Miscavige cutout and memories of the Lisa McPherson Trust
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s celebrities to the rescue! John Travolta shills while Jenna Elfman melts down
[FIVE years ago] Class action lawsuit against Scientology’s drug rehabs refiled with new plaintiffs
[SIX years ago] If you want the IRS to re-examine Scientology’s tax exempt status, it’s time to get real
[SEVEN years ago] Sunday Funnies: The Writers of the Future and more success stories!
[EIGHT years ago] The Saga of David Mayo: Scientology’s Banished Tech Wizard
[NINE years ago] Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Websites
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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 2,270 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,774 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,294 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,314 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,205 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,512 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,380 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,154 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,484 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,958 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,274 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,840 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,759 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,927 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,508 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,769 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,807 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,520 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,045 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 400 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,575 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,126 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,275 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,595 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,450 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,569 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,925 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,228 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,334 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,736 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,608 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,191 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,686 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,940 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,049 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 13, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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
April 12, 2021
Hillary is having seizures at Gitmo, according to solid news source for Q patriots
Some links to Q-related items today…
Thanks to these geniuses, the pandemic is going to be around for a while longer.
Hey, maybe the vaccine is part of “the plan” after all?
Imagine how many people read this stuff and believe it.
An article published three days ago on “real raw news” has quite the scoop pic.twitter.com/swvnOv0sqI
— Italien Feeld 🕳 (@julianfeeld) April 11, 2021
More fingerprints at the scene of the crime.
Holy shit.
Look at this.@travis_view @julianfeeld @williamturton @JitarthJadeja @CullenHoback @nezumi_ningen @iwriteok
I did some research recently into Jim's early internet footprint (2006), and @kunstderfuge1 found this LiveJournal post from 2004! https://t.co/beTrRlkfoW
— Fredrick Brennan (@fr_brennan) April 11, 2021
Another Q effect.
The Moms Who Fear Child Sex Trafficking More Than COVID https://t.co/njsScIksZK
— Marc-André Argentino (@_MAArgentino) April 12, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 12, 2021 at 8:05
Scientology answers Danny Masterson accusers at California Supreme Court, and it’s ugly
Danny Masterson’s accusers have asked California’s Supreme Court to review their objections to Scientology’s “religious arbitration” and the ruling that derailed their harassment lawsuit against the That ’70s Show actor and the church.
We told you last month that if they took this step, they would be facing difficult legal issues that we expected Scientology’s attorneys to exploit. Now we have a copy of the answer filed by the church’s attorneys, and the objections it raises look pretty familiar.
This is a complex case, and we want to make sure at the outset here that you understand this lawsuit is separate from the criminal case that has Danny Masterson facing 45 years to prison if he’s found guilty of raping three women, all of whom were Scientologists at the time of incidents, which occurred between 2001 and 2003.
Those three women, and a fourth woman who was never a Scientologist, came forward to the LAPD, which started a new investigation of these claims in 2016. In 2019 the women filed the harassment lawsuit, alleging that because they went to the LAPD, Masterson and the church had subjected them to a harassment campaign. That’s what the lawsuit is about, not the sexual assaults that are the subject of the criminal case.
And the harassment lawsuit has been derailed by Scientology’s claim that these former members had signed service contracts obliging them to take any dispute to Scientology’s internal ‘arbitration’ rather than to a court of law. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield agreed, and granted Scientology’s motion. If the plaintiffs go through with the arbitration, they can file an appeal of the judge’s decision, but they don’t want to go through Scientology’s in-house proceeding, especially because Kleifield ruled that Masterson himself could take part in it, and the actor has indicated the he plans to do so.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Putting the women and Masterson in a room together at a Scientology arbitration hearing would appear to be a violation of the protective order that the court issued in the criminal case, which instructs Masterson to keep far away from the women. It would also seem to go against the protections that victims have under “Marsy’s Law.” And that is one of the issues that the women have asked the supreme court to take up. (The court is under no obligation to take on the case, and in fact the odds are stacked against it getting involved.)
Once again, in their answer, Scientology’s attorneys argue that Marsy’s Law is irrelevant, because it only applies to criminal cases, not civil lawsuits, as if having rape victims sit in a room with their alleged rapist was somehow fine as long as it was in an arbitration and not a criminal court.
That’s the kind of legalistic argument, ignoring the actual consequence of Judge Kleifield’s ruling, that permeates Scientology’s answer.
Marsy’s Law, by its express language, applies only to criminal proceedings. Petitioners also failed to properly raise their “Protective Order” argument in the Trial Court, and it too fails on the merits. Petitioners mislead this Court by asserting the Protective Order applies to the Church Defendants when it does not mention them or even the word “Scientology.” Of course, neither of these issues raises an “important” question of law to be “settled” by this Court, as they both depend on idiosyncratic (and irrational) arguments related to the narrow facts of this matter.
Instead of grappling with the actual facts of this matter, and the settled law, Petitioners make a cynical bet that they can inflame this Court with stories of what this case is not about. From page one, they speak of sexual assault, when they have sued no one for sexual assault. They protest “religious rituals” without pointing to a single example (as the Trial Court found). They speak of “coercion” when the Trial Court determined the agreements were freely executed. From the beginning, in this and in another matter already disposed of by this Court, they have abused the litigation privilege to defame the Church Defendants, and failed in every instance to present evidence to support their outrageous allegations.
Yes, as usual, Scientology is the real victim here, according to its court filings.
There’s a lot in this document, and it’s largely the same set of arguments that the church made at the previous level, when the 2nd Appellate District declined to hear the case. The state supreme court likely will too. But it’s still rather amazing to see Scientology argue these things, as if these women have no reason to be upset that they can’t get a day in court after, they allege, they were subjected to a stalking campaign for daring to come forward in a rape investigation.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this document.
Bixler v. Scientology: Answ… by Tony Ortega
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Catherine Bell gets her daughter into the act
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Our thanks to the reader who spotted this item and sent it in. It’s NCIS: Los Angeles actress Catherine Bell’s daughter Gemma Bell appearing in an ad for Scientology’s expensive Oregon boarding school, the Delphian.
In a previous story, we explained how Catherine Bell’s relationship with a woman named Brooke Daniells put her at odds with Scientology’s legendary homophobia. We have heard, over the years, from readers who hoped that the apparent conflict might help Catherine break out of the Scientology mindset. But here’s yet another sign that Catherine is still in the fold and is even getting her daughter into the act. Hip, hip, hooray!
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“There are three classes of universes. There’s your universe and that class of universe known as the other fellow’s universe and the physical universe — universes of the type of the physical universe. Now, these in essence are three types of universe. Now, there’s a law back of all this, and that is to say that a universe is subject to the postulates of the god of that universe. Let’s take the physical universe. Everybody agrees that there’s a God someplace and that the physical universe obeys His law, so forth. It’s an interesting aberration in itself. Now, it’s a little more important, however, when we apply it to Mama. Mama is the god of Mama’s universe. Everybody concedes this. Maybe she isn’t in her own mind but everybody concedes that she is.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 12, 1954
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“PENALTIES: Those absent from drills — no next meal. Those absent from study — 10 s per offense logged by supervisors and deducted from allowance and paid by Purser to 2 Div for facilities fund. False report — one week’s allowance. Outness or irresponsibility in admin or on post or watch — 3 days pay. REWARDS: When the ship is out of Non Existence and up to Emergency a reward schedule will be posted. MUSIC: No music while the ship is below Emergency.” — April 12, 1969
“It really seems like Scientology was a cover for anti-communist CIA activities. Just like how Stanford Research Institute was used by the CIA to create remote viewers, so was Scientology. Remote viewing is an incredibly effective spy tool. Melbourne is a very communist place, of course this lefty hellhole would ban it. Our intelligence agencies now and back then deal in stopping any right-wing activities and love promoting leftist social engineering actions like feminist marches.”
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2002: The Houston Chronicle reported that Scientology’s CCHR branch is helping the family of Andrea Yates, who is accused of drowning her five children, with a complaint against her psychiatrist. “The complaint alleges Dr. Mohammed Saeed, former medical director at Devereux Texas Treatment Network in League City, did not properly manage her medication and released her from the hospital when she was dangerously delusional. ‘We feel that Dr. Saeed’s actions of excessive, harmful treatment, and his lack of action to warn about the endangerment of the children, made him negligent in his duty to protect the children,’ states the complaint signed by Yates’ brothers, Brian and Andrew Kennedy, and her mother, Jutta Karin Kennedy.”
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“Believe it or not, ‘Wichita Lineman’ is one of my all time favorite songs. I’m usually in tears by the end of it.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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’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] Scientology continues to see the pandemic as a public relations opportunity
[TWO years ago] Scientology deception and financial fraud spelled out in incredible legal letter
[THREE years ago] Why Scientology has no business pontificating on mental health — a discussion
[FOUR years ago] Need a boost to your superpowers? Scientology has a (pricey) solution for that!
[FIVE years ago] Astra Woodcraft, ex-Scientology kid, wants you to read a short essay
[SIX years ago] How Scientology broke up Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers: The story you haven’t heard
[SEVEN years ago] Why is Scientology’s cruise ship caught up in a lawsuit about human slavery?
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology’s Lavish Annual Party for Pampered Sci-Fi Writers, This Sunday!
[NINE years ago] This is How You Finance an “Ideal Org”
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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 2,269 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,773 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,293 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,313 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,204 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,511 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,379 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,153 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,483 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,957 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,273 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,839 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,758 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,926 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,507 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,768 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,806 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,519 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,044 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 399 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,574 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,125 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,274 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,594 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,449 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,568 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,924 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,227 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,333 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,735 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,607 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,190 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,685 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,939 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,048 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 12, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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
April 11, 2021
While some try to save the GOP from it, the conspiracy grift remains strong
Some links to Q-related items today…
Some Republicans want to take the party back from the conspiracy cliff edge. How dare they!
The GOP has a conspiracy problem that goes beyond QAnon.
Worth your time from @ckmarie. GOP @RepMeijer hits the nail on the head:
“When we say QAnon, you have the sort of extreme forms, but you also just have this softer, gradual undermining of any shared, collective sense of truth.”https://t.co/uoS7GUZ2Cb
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) April 10, 2021
Oops.
new from me: over the past few months, an Oakland-based punk band found their Facebook pages, personal profiles, & Instagram accounts removed by the social network
why?
they were caught up in Facebook’s QAnon ban because their band name is…Adrenochrome https://t.co/RNNWMtfSTD
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) April 9, 2021
MTG rakes it in.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s fundraising haul shows her extremist views are popular with many GOP voters @MariannaReports https://t.co/0uW1gmLvzZ
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) April 10, 2021
The grift is repetitive.
Just received a fundraising email from the RNC that used the name of George Soros FIVE TIMES. pic.twitter.com/Y5Y45ZQRR9
— Seth Cotlar (@SethCotlar) April 10, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
————-
THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 11, 2021 at 8:30
Scientology social media: Never a better time for learning to shatter suppression!
Our special source gives us another look at what Scientologists were sharing with each other on social media this week, and once again, things couldn’t be better in David Miscavigeland!
We’ll start off with a rare check-in from the Los Angeles Ideal Org, which we had pretty much given up for dead. Not true! Krissten has gone Clear!
There’s never been a better time to learn to shatter suppression!
Tampa scores another beginner, and through an extension course. Who said the Internet was toxic for Scientology?
Tampa even has people training to be auditors. This planet will be cleared in no time!
Looks like a WISE admin consulting business to veterinarians is hiring in Clearwater. Woof!
More pandemic LARPing, this time in Hungary.
You just can’t get enough shattering of suppression! Take that, SPs!
Charlie is back! The London org can swing again.
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Bonus items from our tipsters
Tacos? Oh shit they are really going all out now. Also, Scientology can help you with “anger management.” That’s a good one.
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“Suzette Hubbard is assigned to the post of Quartermasters Mate Div IV Ship and her pay resumed when she takes post. She did this post well but was both overloaded by added duties and given no assistance on major work actions. She has in the past done several posts well but overload and overwhelm has driven her off them. She is to learn coastal and celestial navigation in part time study so as to be able to train personnel in them. There are too few reliable navigators aboard.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 11, 1970
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“WELCOME ABOARD: Three new arrivals, Evelyn Webster-Parsons who is our WW Representative, Paul Preston who is Deputy Ops for US Area, and Janice Tidman, returning to the ship, are welcomed aboard. …MORALE: I am getting a steady flow of reports of increased morale. I think we can have a happy ship.” — The Commodore, April 11, 1970
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“The main question is: Do we ‘need and want to have a unified Freezone’? The answer is a definitive YES! A unified and organized Freezone will survive ‘lower beings’ well organized and wanting to take the planet down. What is meant by ‘lower beings’? It could be for example wog anti-Scienos and ex-Scienos organized on Suppressive Groups like SPs r Us, or the Andreas Heldal-Lund group. The creation of the Freezone was by Capt. Bill Robertson. In short, the inhabitants of this planet are (by decree of the government of this galaxy) guinea pigs for an experiment, and they are not to be interfered with by external influences (Marcabian ETs) nor being subjected to atomic or biochemical warfare. We are expected to make Scientology run the planet. Anyway, the shadow government for this planet is going to use or is already using Scientology against the planetary population. Reverse Scientology to enslave. The other alternative is the Marcabians in the EU creating their One World Government. The other alternative would be the Scientologists running the planet. But how are American Scienos going to do that if they ‘don’t like’ organizations, the Sea Org, and much less a One World Government?”
——————–
2001: The Bermuda Sun reported that Scientology is being introduced to Bermuda. “Dee Pearson, a Bermudian, has returned to her homeland, accompanied by her husband, Don, to share what they have learned through Dianetics, the key practice of the church. They offered three free sessions last weekend at the Hamilton Princess to anyone that was interested in learning a little more about Dianetics. The Pearsons will continue their work in Bermuda on sharing theories of Dianetics in an all-day workshop tomorrow, Saturday April 7, at the Hamilton Princess. The $125 fee includes a free copy of L. Ron Hubbard’s book, ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,’ a card with an explanation of the method, lunch and training on how to audit.”
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“Ingo Swann was a Scientologist at one time and also a superstar of the make-believe magical circus. He was confirmed as being a ‘genuine psychic’ by Professors Dumb & Dumber (Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff), the same suckers who were conned by Uri Geller.”
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
——————–
SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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’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] Scientology’s desperate response to pandemic is to let us see just how creepy it really is
[TWO years ago] Pageant official: Miss New Yorks are clueless about Scientology and we’re OK with that
[THREE years ago] A new academic book takes apart Scientology and pop culture, and the apologists hate it
[FOUR years ago] Federal judge to Scientology: I’m taking over the arbitration, and it’s jail if you interfere
[FIVE years ago] Spying, intimidation, and ruin: Two lives caught up in Scientology’s notorious ‘Fair Game’
[SIX years ago] Garcias ask for reconsideration on judge’s error: ‘We never agreed that Scientology is a religion’
[SEVEN years ago] VERDICT: Scientology’s Quebec rehab facility violated human rights of David Love and 2 others
[EIGHT years ago] Dianetics: Your Life Was Ruined Before Birth by Your Parents and Their Dumb Culture
——————–
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 2,268 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,772 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,292 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,312 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,203 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,510 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,378 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,152 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,482 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,956 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,272 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,838 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,757 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,925 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,506 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,767 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,805 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,518 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,043 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 398 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,573 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,124 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,273 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,593 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,448 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,567 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,923 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,226 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,332 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,734 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,606 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,189 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,684 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,938 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,047 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 11, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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
April 10, 2021
Q patriots react to the death of Prince Philip with taste and decorum
Some links to Q-related items today…
Q patriots reacted to the death of Prince Philip with taste and decorum.
The theories are flying, all right.
QAnon barely raised an eyebrow to the revelation about Ron Watkins being Q, or Matt Gaetz being investigated for child sex trafficking.
But a 99-year-old member of the British royal family dying peacefully?
That’s got them really excited.https://t.co/zP90hs2JBu
— David Gilbert (@daithaigilbert) April 9, 2021
Gaetz-gate continues to stink up the joint.
Matt Gaetz is now funneling his PR through Pizzagate peddler and neo-Nazi collaborator Jack Posobiec.
This is what circling the drain looks like. pic.twitter.com/sOQVRFeGd6
— Michael Edison Hayden (@MichaelEHayden) April 9, 2021
Ron’s shy past.
"Ron Watkins is remembered by an old classmate as being a shy kid, who seemed like he needed a friend. Words like 'quiet' and 'easily forgotten' were used to describe the teenager."https://t.co/hLVctpaHrj
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) April 10, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
————-
THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 10, 2021 at 8:10
Recent Scientology defector: ‘I did the Purif with SNL’s Chloe Fineman’
Last week we first revealed that Saturday Night Live’s sophomore sensation Chloe Fineman is the child of Scientology Clears, she has her own record of taking Scientology courses, and halfway through her first SNL season she provided tickets for a taping to a hardcore Scientology celebrity, actress Denice Duff.
We pointed out how interesting this was because in 2015 SNL produced maybe the best parody of Scientology of all time, its brilliant music video “Neurotology.” Not only did the video poke fun at Scientology’s strange beliefs, but it also brought up the serious controversies surrounding the organization. SNL’s skewering of Scientology was both hilarious and damning.
But that didn’t stop the show from hiring Fineman in 2019, and she’s on her second season now and gaining steam as one of the cast’s better performers.
For our story last week we had sent detailed messages to Fineman through her Twitter DMs (which were open), but by the morning that our story came out she had deleted her entire Twitter account. The next night, she was featured in the “cold open” of a new SNL episode, with another brilliant impression of Britney Spears in a skit that also featured Kate McKinnon as Pepe LePew (McKinnon was a prominent part of the “Neurotology” video).
And now this week we’ve talked to Adam Pires, 35, a Navy veteran who spent several years in Scientology until he left in disgust in 2018 and has been going public recently as a vocal defector.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He wanted us to know that he had spent a few years doing Scientology courses at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre, and did the “Purification Rundown” there in 2015. The “Purif” is something that all Scientologists are required to undergo, sometimes more than once, and with its quack sauna-and-vitamins regimen it is supposed to detoxify the body and spirit. It’s a grueling process that can last a month or two, with hours every day in the sauna, often with the same people, day after day.
Pires tells us that he got to know well the other people who were doing the Purif with him, which included some wealthy Scientology donors and several people involved in the entertainment industry. And one of them was Chloe Fineman.
He got to know her so well, he ended up buying her car a couple of years later when she told him she was moving to New York in 2017.
Pires first joined Scientology in 2005 after reading about Tom Cruise in a Reader’s Digest article.
“He said it put him in the driver’s seat of life,” Pires tells us. “Cruise was one of my idols, and I thought, that must be the secret! I went on Scientology’s website and did a personality test.”
In western Massachusetts at the time, he began to be inundated by calls from the Boston “Org,” but the mission in Albany was closer to him, so he ended up going there to begin taking some introductory courses.
But after that initial interest, he moved away from the church, joining the Navy for a four-year stint. But even during his deployment, he says, he was constantly getting calls from Scientology asking him to come back.
“When I got out of the Navy, I was looking for a group to be a part of,” he says. And after talking to Scientologists at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre, he decided to drive out there in 2013. “My main points of contact were Eric Meyersfield, a musician who had joined the Sea Org. And Joey Collewijn, a soccer player from Britain who gave it up to join the Sea Org to be a recruiter.”
Two years later, he started on the Purif, and got to know the other people at the Celebrity Centre who were going through the sauna-and-vitamins regimen.
There was Nancy and Robert Daley, wealthy donors and OT 8s who wanted everyone to know it. Miles Vedder, a boom operator who wanted to make it as an actor. There was Brie Shaffer, Michael Peña’s wife and Danny Masterson’s assistant. And there was Chloe Fineman.
Pires sat with them in the sauna day after day, getting to know them.
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“I remember Chloe was talking about looking for a new place, and she got Miles’ number, because he was also looking for a roommate, and I got her number too,” he says. They stayed in touch, he says, and she sold him her car a couple of years later.
All of his Purif companions were longtime, dedicated Scientologists, Adam says. None of them were simply going through a course or two. And that was certainly true in Chloe’s case, he says.
“She was second generation, she grew up in it. She had done her Purif before and she was going through it again,” he says. She also did her “SRD” at the same time he did, he remembers.
The Survival Rundown was a new course that church leader David Miscavige had put together from previous offerings (replacing “TRs and Objectives”), and there was heavy pressure on Scientologists to go through it as part of the new “Golden Age of Technology Part 2”. And Chloe was pushing through those do-overs at the time. “She went Clear, too. I remember when she did that.”
Pires eventually left Scientology in 2018, unhappy with the way he had been treated. He recently began going public about what he experienced, such as a podcast he did last week.
But even though he’s been out of Scientology for a couple of years and hasn’t heard from Fineman lately, he says it’s likely that she is still a dedicated Scientologist.
“Her parents are hardcore old school Scientologists. I wouldn’t be surprised if her success at SNL she attributes to Scientology.”
——————–
Jon Atack interviews Mike Rinder, part 3
Says Jon: “Mike Rinder continues his account of his life in Scientology, focusing this week on the first years ashore in Florida, when Scientology began buying property in Clearwater, posing as the fictitious “Southern Land Development Corporation.” In between some fascinating tangents and comparisons to Clearwater’s more current experiences with Scientology, Mike descdribes the organization’s legal battles of that era, particularly with Clearwater mayor Gabe Cazares and other early critics. As always, it’s a wild ride, and an amazing, must-listen conversation.”
“Under this particular zone in Scientology right now, we have, oddly enough, culminated — and this is hard to believe, because it is such a wildly embracive figure — we have culminated in anything that was desirable in the fields of religion, mysticism, spiritualism, or mental sciences. Anything desirable in those particular fields have been discovered and culminated in the field of Scientology right now. That’s why I say it’s rather hard to believe, but you look at it, that’s true. So we do have valuable subject materials. Now, that job is complete. And so, number one of these, course management, as far as we’re concerned, on a Scientology course, that is complete. We’re even throwing away material now which would have been enough to have made a complete science and revolutionized middle Europe, you know, two hundred years ago.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 10, 1959
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“WOG WORLD: If you were puzzled about my ‘now in the WOG world’ jokes in yesterdays OOD — that was the way certain people were 3rd partying us. Making a horrible false impression between us and elsewhere. ‘Now in the Wog world — ” Or how great the beach is compared to the ship. At least we’re trying to get it to survive and that’s more than you can say for the ‘Wog World’.” — The Commodore, April 10, 1969
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“Hubbardian Scientological-like tricks to trap, contain, and eliminate or ameliorate the developing infidel-illogicals of humanity while promoting an advancing ‘expanding’ HS-elite gradient of Theta Clears going forward has been part of Man’s social engineering constructivities since the Golden Dawn of Civilizations. We can do better. And I suspect Hubbard thought so too with a KSW: always, eternally and forevermore.”
——————–
2000: Berliner Zeitung reported on the release of Battlefield Earth. “For John Travolta, this film is the fulfillment of a dream long cherished. 15 years ago, when the Hollywood actor started out to film the novel, ‘Battlefield Earth,’ he had wanted to play the young hero, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler. Now it has taken so long to put it together that he took over the part of Tyler’s aging opponent. There is a reason that production has taken so long and that renowned film studios like MGM, and later 20th Century Fox, first bought the rights then later gave them up for the book published in 1982: its name is L. Ron Hubbard and he was the founder of the Scientology sect. Intertainment chief Ruediger Baeres said that he had hesitated, because of Hubbard, when the film was first offered as part of a package of 60 productions for Europe-wide licensing: ‘Scientology doesn’t make any difference to me.’ He said he only wanted to earn money.”
——————–
“I wear shorts and combat boots to the beach. Who am I kidding, I never go to the beach even though I live right near it. It’s full of gangbangers, junkies, alkies and crackheads.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Discovery hearing on April 20, prelim set for May 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.
Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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’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] Eleventh Circuit will hear oral arguments in key Scientology ‘religious arbitration’ case
[TWO years ago] LEAKED: Scientology’s secret playbook for world domination!
[THREE years ago] Before Scientology was a ‘church,’ L. Ron Hubbard said religion controlled people with lies
[FOUR years ago] Why Scientology’s Erika Christensen can play a Christian convert on the big screen
[FIVE years ago] Spider-Man goes drug-free for Scientology, and more in our weekly social media review!
[SIX years ago] L. Ron Hubbard’s Navy record: Chris Owen critiques the ‘Business Insider’ story
[SEVEN years ago] Is a Scientology front group among those fighting a European effort against ‘sects’?
[EIGHT years ago] Brit Writer’s 27 Years in Scientology is Suddenly News in France — Our Man in Paris Explains Why
[NINE years ago] Is Lisa Marie Presley Telling Off Scientology in a Song?
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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 2,267 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,771 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,291 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,311 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,202 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,509 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,377 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,151 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,481 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,955 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,271 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,837 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,756 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,924 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,505 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,766 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,804 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,517 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,042 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 397 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,572 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,123 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,272 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,592 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,447 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,566 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,922 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,225 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,331 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,733 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,605 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,188 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,683 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,937 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,046 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 10, 2021 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, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), 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
April 9, 2021
Dallas patriot roundup: Q fans prove that the grift will go on and on
Some links to Q-related items today…
While some patriots are getting used to the idea that Matt Gaetz is part of the problem, others are coming up with some pretty interesting defenses for him: “I was married when I was 16 if deep State is trying to get him in trouble with a 17 year old! They are stupid!”
Slowing down? Maybe not.
Sitting GOP @replouiegohmert and @TexasGOP chair @AllenWest are both slated to speak at a QAnon conference next month.
The organizer of the "God & Country Patriots Roundup"
event says it’s not a QAnon event.
That organizer’s name? QAnon Johnhttps://t.co/jULWpOfJZW
— David Gilbert (@daithaigilbert) April 8, 2021
And here’s the trailer…
GOP Congressman Louie Gohmert is speaking at this QAnon event which denies it's a QAnon event while including loads of QAnon symbols in the trailer. https://t.co/5ryZzwZlWU
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) April 8, 2021
This effing guy…
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn went on a QAnon-supporting show (https://t.co/H9A6yPw7LG https://t.co/ooqc2aT7Jm) last night & falsely claimed that the January 6 insurrection was a "false flag type operation." pic.twitter.com/b3Y3D8Wkrm
— Alex Kaplan (@AlKapDC) April 8, 2021
A Philly fanatic…
@QanonAnonymous
Apparently the memory of Q is alive and well in the Philly Burbs pic.twitter.com/LP3CFwukLA
— Schrödinger cat's toy (@IncogBrian) April 8, 2021
Ron continues on…
Looks like Ron will be picking up where Q left off.#QIntotheStorm pic.twitter.com/q8ycIrVO6s
— Cullen (@CullenHoback) April 9, 2021
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent recent article at New York magazine as a place to start.
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THE LOWDOWN is our blog for news, the QAnon phenomenon, and other subjects not related to our coverage of the Church of Scientology. If it’s our Scientology coverage you’re looking for, please use this bookmark for our latest stories.
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 9, 2021 at 8:00
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