Tony Ortega's Blog, page 42
April 20, 2025
Scientology targets clients of Marc and Claire Headley in another Fair Game scheme
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: One way you know that Marc and Claire Headley have been so effective talking about what they witnessed in the Sea Org is the lengths that Scientology goes to try and silence them. The latest scheme is especially stupid because 60 Scientologists signed their names to it! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Regardless of can size, cold E-Meter electrodes tend to give a much higher tone arm reading particularly on some pcs. Until the cans warm up, the reading is generally false and is false in the direction of high. A chilled pc almost always has a high TA until he or she gets warm. Just throwing a coat over the pc’s shoulders can bring down a TA in a cool room. But some pcs are ‘cool blooded’ and the shock of ice cold cans can drive the TA up and it takes a while to drift down. This has a great effect on examinations where the cans are used very briefly. A practice which gets around this is for the auditor or Examiner to hold the cans briefly until they are warm and then give them to the pc. A variation is for the auditor or Examiner to put the cans under his armpits while setting up. This warms them. There are probably many other ways to warm up cans to body temperature.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1977
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“Well now look, Mary Sue has been working very, very hard to make an OT out of me and been working at it and working at it and she didn’t make the grade. I wanted to get OT today so I could give you some nice weather. And I just didn’t make it, I’m sorry. I only got thirteen banks back and got stuck, you know.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 20, 1963
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“PARTY: Barry, Cathy and Liz did a good job on the party. Decorations were by the Middies, Claire, Terri, Suzette, Ann and Janis. Barry gave out dancing prizes. For such courage above and beyond the line of duty, he was himself decorated. Well done to Div VI.” — The Commodore, April 20, 1970
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“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un detonates hydrogen bombs near a dangerous volcano, dramatizing clearly OT section 3 scenarios that could affect directly China, South Korea, and Japan. Meanwhile independent Scientology PCs happily promote avoiding and discarding auditing on OT III because it is ‘unreal’: ‘I’m auditing the OT levels and I am very happy that my Case Supervisor skipped OT III at my request,’ one of these independent PCs offered as a success story. As an auditor trained in objective processing, I can say that avoiding one of the most important steps in the OT levels is going to create an inability and an unhandled void in the person’s case. And this in the face of a world where OT III scenarios are putting the world in danger. A quick solution could be warning ‘OT III is fantasy’ PCs that avoiding the step is going to put this society at risk and they, the PC, unable to handle this OT III society, OT III radiation on the planet and Kim Jong Un OT III dramatizations of global war and nuclear holocaust.”
2002: The Tampa Tribune reported that the Scientology org in Tampa, Florida is considering a move to larger offices in a cigar factory. “The church bought the Andres Diaz building in October for $1.1 million and has inquired about other cigar buildings and houses in the neighborhood, Executive Director Sheri Payson said Wednesday. The church rents an office at 3617 Henderson Blvd. in south Tampa. The building was sold, Payson said, and the church needs to move soon. If the church moves into the West Tampa building, it will apply for a tax exemption, Payson said. Earl Haugabook, president of the West Tampa Chamber of Commerce, doesn’t like the sound of that. ‘I don’t feel good about them purchasing property in West Tampa,’ he said. ‘I know the organization and how they move into an area and use their influence, like in Clearwater. The next thing you know, they could take over West Tampa, too. We don’t want that for this neighborhood.’ Payson said members will ‘go door-to-door’ in West Tampa and host an open house. ‘We want to be open with neighbors,’ Payson said, noting that she would like to speak to neighborhood groups. City Councilwoman Mary Alvarez said she hopes the church ‘won’t put something controversial’ in the building. ‘I can’t say I’m pleased about this because of the church’s reputation in Clearwater,’ she said. Joseph Petralia, owner of Petralia Advertising Inc., has rented office space in the Andres Diaz building for the past four years. When the church bought the building in October, he said tenants were told the church would move in, then that told it wouldn’t, then told the church would sell it. Petralia said that when his rent doubled to $2,000, he moved out. ‘I don’t think our cigar factories are an appropriate place for this church,’ said Petralia, who lives in West Tampa. ‘If they buy up our buildings, we’ll lose our heritage. This is scary to me.'”
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“Human nature isn’t that complex. If you strip away the unnatural veneer of civilization, what are you left with? Spend some time on the street and tell me human nature is complex. Human egotism is infinite is more like it.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal. Leah’s appeal brief due June 3.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] Is Leah Remini’s advocacy against Scientology keeping her from an honor she deserves?
[TWO years ago] Jury selection in the Danny Masterson retrial: Today, the attorneys take over
[THREE years ago] Scientology knows it can get your cash with a Great Gatsby party, New Yorkers!
[FOUR years ago] MASTERSON DENIED: Court says his request for more time struck down, prelim still May 18
[FIVE years ago] Tom Cruise on InTouch cover: Another completely oversold Scientology clip job
[SIX years ago] Bull baiting and so much worse: Margery Wakefield on surviving Scientology
[SEVEN years ago] Joy Villa’s Scientologist husband shamed into dropping elephant skin bags from luxury line
[EIGHT years ago] As Clearwater votes, here’s a reminder of how L. Ron Hubbard had Scientology invade Florida
[NINE years ago] Disconnection, Miscavige style: How Scientology’s most powerful family came apart
[TEN years ago] AUDIO: Full police interviews of Scientology spies and their stalking of Ron Miscavige Sr.
[ELEVEN years ago] Easter Sunday Funnies: David Miscavige has risen, & Scientology has more money than ever!
[TWELVE years ago] African Queen: The Man L. Ron Hubbard Thought He Was
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,240 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,735 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,250 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,800 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,790 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,176 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,671 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,975 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,844 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,398 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,739 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,306 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,225 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,393 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,975 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,234 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,271 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,987 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,551 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,866 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,041 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,723 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,060 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,914 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,029 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,391 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,800 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,198 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,074 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,639 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,150 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,406 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,514 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 20, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
He is risen! And a happy Easter to Q patriots and libturd Dumbocrats alike
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Last year, Trump posted a right wing article comparing himself to the resurrected Jesus, offering a list of "Trump miracles"
Trump's article: "Jesus Christ rose on Easter week. But this year, so did President Donald J. Trump."https://t.co/jd2wyBpGwn
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 20, 2025
Trump working hard to pass no tax on tips pic.twitter.com/dgBLgVXlG7
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 20, 2025
I covered MS-13 for over a decade: its history, crimes, symbolism, cruelty, pacts with Salvadoran governments. I wrote a book about it. Never, ever, did any of the hundreds of sources I spoke to say anything that would allow us to believe Trump's strange interpretation of tattoos https://t.co/3kvV49Jezu
— Óscar Martínez (@CronistaOscar) April 19, 2025
Tucker didn’t properly scope out where he did his interview with McGregor and now folks are questioning if he’s in the Illuminati. pic.twitter.com/i52IqNQlKL
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) April 19, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 20, 2025 at 08:00
April 19, 2025
The White House trolling with memes: America’s new golden age
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});5 things Trump did this week:
1. Defied Supreme Court ruling to bring back a Maryland dad
2. Bragged about himself during the White House Easter Prayer Service and Dinner
3. Falsely claimed gas prices were $1.98
4. Swore in Dr. Oz
5. Kept the Epstein files safe another week pic.twitter.com/PGSiF1D7UU
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 19, 2025
This is MAGA pic.twitter.com/qJVBg7XxaU
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 19, 2025
“You will live underground, and you will like it” pic.twitter.com/Vl9Sjh1aWE
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 19, 2025
Some preachers are calling out other preachers who attended Trump’s Easter dinner pic.twitter.com/9stnwZ4x2Z
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 19, 2025
Prosperity gospel televangelist Kenneth Copeland was at Trump’s White House Easter dinner pic.twitter.com/S52F3sGakC
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 19, 2025
Trump then: I'll end that war in 24 hours
Trump now: Never mind, we give up pic.twitter.com/QsmM09KeEx
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) April 18, 2025
Despite the court order, the Trump White House tweeted that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is “never coming back” pic.twitter.com/mAkNXGEUkm
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 18, 2025
Nikola Tesla fan fiction gets weirder by the day. Did he build the machine that lets QTeam see the future? pic.twitter.com/KK1xIMHpAV
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) April 19, 2025
For the FT, I wrote an essay about why the daily experience of the Internet keeps getting worse, tipping us into madness and conflict. I gather ideas about slop, enshittification, and dead internet theory under what I call "the hostile Internet." https://t.co/WXhmQR7IMq
— Jacob Silverman (@SilvermanJacob) April 19, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 19, 2025 at 08:00
Killer Scientology documentary from 1985 is put online by network
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: This past week a 1985 network documentary about Scientology was put online for the first time, and we can say without hesitation that it is simply one of the best ever made about the subject. We can’t wait to get your reactions to some of the stellar footage in this thing. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“You’d think soup was very expensive the way some auditors hold onto old cans. Corroded cans can falsify TA. Get new ones now and then. And then there was the vain lady who wore shoes too small for her feet. She removed them every session. The session went well each time. Then she put on her agonizing shoes and went to the Examiner and the C/Ses and auditors all went mad trying to find out why every exam had a high TA. Tight shoes. The E-Meter is accurate. It is a lovely instrument. You have to fit the pc to it. Good luck.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1977
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
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“I remember training generals in Egypt. It was difficult. You say, ‘When fighting Numidians, you inevitably and invariably make very certain that your flanks are secure, because the Numidian — because of horses and that sort of thing — can very easily collapse your flanks. So one of the first things you do in fighting Numidians is make sure that both flanks are very secure. And the best way to do this is to put one flank against the seacoast. You see? And the other flank against a wadi. You see, that’s the best way to do that. No general you ever taught ever fought any Numidians on the seacoast. You see, you run into these small difficulties in training. That’s typical of Earth.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 19, 1962
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“The Ponies are to be made operational for use in All Hands Evolutions. Lafayettes are not to be used due to their long range per LRH order.” — Lt. Cmdr Diana Hubbard, CS-1, April 19, 1969
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“Having an underground bunker in ‘Trementina’ is a good start for trouble between North Korea and the USA. It is said it has connection to Los Alamos and other USA underground bases.”
2001: Scientology announced a plan to lobby the U.S. Congress against the government of France. “The United States of America, as an international icon of freedom and human rights, must take a leadership role to stop this insanity before it takes hold in other parts of the world. The introduction of a Congressional Resolution, representing ‘the voice of the U. S. Congress,’ will condemn government-condoned religious persecution in Western Europe and especially in France. Join us in an historical multi-religion campaign to eliminate this suppression swiftly and decisively, as Scientologists join with like-minded groups and individuals who believe that religious freedom is worth fighting for. Your adventure will begin Wednesday, April 25, in Washington, D.C. You and other religious representatives will be briefed and hatted by our D.C. experts on meeting with congressional publics to bring them to understand the importance of this vital issue. There will be many highlights, including a multi-faith service, organized by the Foundation for Religious Tolerance, and held at the Founding Church of Scientology in D.C. Leaders from many different religions will be mobilized into action. Fight back against those who would destroy religion on this planet! Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director, Office of Special Affairs”
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“Denise is teaching the kids how the barter system works.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal. Leah’s appeal brief due June 3.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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 email claims massive new construction plans by year end
[TWO years ago] Judge Olmedo begins quizzing prospective jurors in the Danny Masterson retrial
[THREE years ago] Scientology features director’s mom as John Malkovich movie hits theaters
[FOUR years ago] Fun new leak: The current Scientology staff application and contract
[FIVE years ago] Scientology: Earth is a prison planet and the virus just another fake threat. So study LRH!
[SIX years ago] COMING MAY 9: Silvertail Books publishes Chris Owen’s ‘Ron the War Hero’
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s greatest lecture of all: It’s finally time we look closer at Xenu in all his glory
[EIGHT years ago] How a recanted John Travolta gay sex allegation led to a bizarre Michael Jackson scoop
[NINE years ago] Ron Miscavige’s book ‘Ruthless’ gets a UK publisher and it’s a familiar one
[TEN years ago] Another wacky Scientology testimonial video — and an Underground Bunker announcement!
[ELEVEN years ago] Is Google aiding a Scientology front group that claims the Holocaust was caused by psychiatry?
[TWELVE years ago] Jason Barclay’s Sea Org Adventure: A Fresh Scientology Escapee Details Abuse
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,239 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,734 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,249 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,799 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,789 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,175 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,670 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,974 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,843 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,397 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,738 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,305 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,224 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,392 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,974 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,233 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,270 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,986 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,550 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,865 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,040 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,722 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,059 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,913 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,028 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,390 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,799 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,197 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,073 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,638 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,149 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,405 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,513 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 19, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
April 18, 2025
She worked with Scientology’s spies and celebs, and still has photos to prove it
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: You never know what someone who spent decades in Scientology and worked at its highest, most secret echelons might still have stored away. In this case, it turns out, a super-rare photo of one of the most notorious and reclusive super-spies the church ever produced. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“When a pc has not done well on Dianetics and when no other reason can be found the C/S should suspect some listing error and order an L4BRA to be done ‘On Dianetic lists’ at the start of each question. Each read obtained on the list is carried earlier similar to F/N as per HCOB 14 Mar 71 ‘F/N Everything’ or, preferably the list is found in the folder and properly handled in accordance with what read on L4BRA. Dianetic lists can be carried to an item that blows down and F/Ns.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1978
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
“I had an example of this. I had a couple of words on a line plot, when I was auditing, and they didn’t make much sense, and I let them go by! They didn’t make any sense to me and by George, we had a wrong item! And as soon as we got the thing straightened out and they did make sense, and so forth, they rocket read, and we went ahead beautifully. The point I’m stressing here is even though you have those forms, don’t try to gobbledygook it. Because gobbledygook won’t work. But sometimes it looks a little gobbledygooky, let’s get the idea of ‘to be Catholic.’ Let’s say that somebody had a goal like that. Got it down in the Vatican or somewhere, they got implanted, and ‘to be Catholic,’ you know. And you get down to the ‘-ness’ form of the goal. And you say, well that’s obviously the beingness of a Catholic. But by George, that doesn’t work! And you finally find out that it’s ‘Catholicness.’ Makes sense, doesn’t it? Catholicness. It isn’t an English word, but it’s a perfectly decent concept. It’s the ‘-ness’ ness of being a Catholic. See? And Catholicness, you’ll find out will fire right at that point, very nice.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 18, 1963
——————–
“NAME CHANGE: The harbour recognized the ship but not the flag or name and were curious. So you better know why so you can explain it. The Hubbard Exploration Co Ltd was the original owner. It was a British Company. Because of currency restrictions the ships were sold to me, then to Operation and Transport Corporation of Panama, a Panama Company so the flag and name had to be changed. We run student cruises and came from Cadiz and will eventually be returning there. We cruise on the coasts of the Western Med.” — The Commodore, April 18, 1969
——————–
“OT 20 is superstatic rundown. It allows you to go outside source itself and re-enter the MEST universe at any other point in time. 900 years into the future the entire galaxy was taken over by the aliens that created mind control on this planet during this time period. Those aliens have been removed from the planet now and we can now start to repair the damage. The sleeper children were created by the dark forces 900 years in the future to try to prevent Scientology from being created. INT Management has been run by alien implanted entity manipulation. That is why we can’t get CoS repaired until we get the government out of CoS. The government is using CoS to extort money out of the public to line their own pockets. We advanced Scientology in the future to a point where we could go back into the static source where all things is created from and operate in any time period we choose. We came back to this period of time to remove the alien influence and stop the future chaos from happening. If you listen to The Time Track of Theta tapes you will learn a thetan can run more than one body. Not unusual to run 20 or more other Bodies.”
——————–
2000: From Ifuse.com: “Crew members working on the latest John Travolta movie say they can’t wait to wrap, citing a ‘creepy’ level of Scientologist fervor surrounding the set of potential summer sci-fi blockbuster ‘Battlefield Earth.’ The movie is about a futuristic battle for Earth between opposing political movements. The ‘good’ that wins out is supposed to represent the ideology of Scientology. ‘It’s weird man,’ said a member of the camera crew, interviewed by iFUSE on the set Tuesday. ‘Half these people are Scientologists. Travolta’s hired all of them to be here. It’s like this weird, religious epic. ‘It’s creepy, man.’ Some crew members went so far as to call their Scientologist co-workers ‘freaks,’ saying they constantly speak wistfully of founder Hubbard and how wonderful their faith is. Others — who happen to be Scientologists — said they were fine with the atmosphere. ‘This is a film that I wanted to work on,’ said a Scientologist member of the production. ‘Hubbard just knew so many secrets about what really goes on, and his books made those ideas come to life entertainingly, so it’s great to be making this into a movie that, hopefully, a lot of people will see.'”
——————–
“It would be fun if there were real monsters, but the only real monsters on this planet are us.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Rebecca Minkoff’s Scientology involvement in the news, thanks to ‘RHONY’
[TWO years ago] Day one at the Danny Masterson retrial was wild, what’s in store for day two?
[THREE years ago] How it went down: Transcript of Judge Olmedo denying Danny Masterson’s latest subpoenas
[FOUR years ago] Scientology social media: Taking the planet higher than it’s ever been
[FIVE years ago] Scientology denied: Watch Clearwater church members calling Mark Bunker a bigot
[SIX years ago] When Scientology is caught spying, it always pretends it was the victim
[SEVEN years ago] Spinning cars, self-healing cuts — more ‘OT’ ghost stories from Scientologists
[EIGHT years ago] DOX: Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s nutty scheme to strong-arm America’s psychologists
[NINE years ago] Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ premieres at Tribeca: Our on-scene report
[TEN years ago] Scientology hit with another federal lawsuit over refunds — but with a twist
[ELEVEN years ago] The rising business star, his mother, and Scientology’s attempt to rip them apart
[TWELVE years ago] Hysterical Hyper-Sight, and Other Lost Concepts of Dianetics
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,238 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,733 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,248 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,798 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,788 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,174 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,669 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,973 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,842 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,396 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,737 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,304 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,223 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,391 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,973 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,232 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,269 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,985 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,549 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,864 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,039 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,721 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,058 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,912 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,027 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,389 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,798 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,196 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,072 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,637 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,148 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,404 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,512 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 18, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Trump on FSU shooting: ‘Things like this take place’
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Thank goodness they only shot up a bunch of college kids and no Teslas were hurt. https://t.co/JP6sQrSmjJ
— Jeff Timmer (@jefftimmer) April 17, 2025
If Biden said this it would have been a 24/7 media blitz for Harris to 25th amendment him. Trump says he has no idea what the Congo is and the only people who will care are QAnon followers trying to decode the hidden meaning. https://t.co/OcIXjpQThl
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) April 17, 2025
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. pic.twitter.com/U9y2gZpxCb
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 18, 2025
SCOOP: Internal Palantir Slack messages obtained by @josephfcox show the company did a recent sprint to build a tool that helps ICE find the physical locations of people who have been marked for deportation.https://t.co/pv3sSur7Ty
— Jason Koebler (@jason_koebler) April 17, 2025
American police are spending hundreds of thousands on Massive Blue’s unproven and secretive technology that uses AI-generated online personas designed to interact with and collect intelligence on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and suspected traffickers. pic.twitter.com/dzhB3UR7xG
— WIRED (@WIRED) April 17, 2025
Pam Bondi with trans Trump supporters Caitlyn Jenner and Sophia Hutchins pic.twitter.com/5KVWdYw3qn
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 17, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 18, 2025 at 08:00
April 17, 2025
So much for that cookie-cutter lawsuit against Scientology about sharing data
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: In February it sounded like an interesting new approach to suing Scientology as a Pennsylvania woman filed a case saying the church had illegally shared her data with Facebook. But we wondered about the firm that was filing dozens of similar suits, for good reason it turns out. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
“The most violent session ARC Breaks occur because of list errors under the meaning of listing and nulling. Other session ARC Breaks even under withholds are not as violent as those occurring because of listing errors. Therefore when a violent or even a ‘total-apathy-won’t-answer’ session upset has occurred in Dianetics, one must suspect that the preclear is reacting under the laws of listing and nulling and that he conceives such an error to have been made.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1978
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
——————–
“I only talk about animal psychologists because I want the beast to be known by his right name. That’s all he is and all he ever pretended to be. Any psychologist is an animal psychologist because the basic theory on which he operates is ‘man is an animal.’ So we call him animal psychologist. And I think that will effectively take care of that as the years roll along. Now, don’t ever use that word psychologist after this. See, just use animal psychologist, always. And you’ll get it around. You’ll find the Times, sooner or later, will be talking about the animal psychologist. And people will be phoning them up to take care of their horses. I wouldn’t let them though. And I don’t even like horses. I wouldn’t let them take care of my horse.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 17, 1962
——————–
“ORG SECURITY: Mail and telex security and personal mail still must maintain security. Now and then an incompetent or false report wipes out security. The object is to make it difficult for an enemy to predict location and activity. We have had several severe upsets traceable to lack of security. You don’t name ports or detail plans in personal letters or org telexes. You carefully obscure them — Halifax becomes ‘our last port.’ ‘We intend to go to the Seychelles’ becomes ‘we’ll soon be in warmer climes.’ Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Register was rumored to carry us port to port. This is false. We are never listed as we’re a yacht. But there are at least six other commercial Apollos. Scn orgs have taken to advertising the SO. This is silly. The SO is not their product. We are the organization three feet behind the head of Scn orgs. We succeed if we are least noticed.” — The Commodore, April 17, 1970
——————–
“To the degree I am ARCx, I know that logically, however sane I think I am, my own Knowingness is flawed by own my assignments of other-authorship, other-ownership, pan-determinism, other-determinism, self-determinism and valence/circuit per the Responsibility Scale. I also know that sanity is found by differentiating my own assignments and assumptions of other authorship resultant in perfect duplication and as-isness plus total understanding and the vanishment of mechanical conditions of existence resultant in knowingness on the specific items being considered which naturally results in UNDERSTANDING AND ACTION IN THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE DERIVED FROM KNOWINGNESS PER THE SCALE OF RESPONSIBILITY applied from the top down.”
1999: MSNBC reported on Scientologist John Coale’s relationship with the U.S. President. “John Coale, the high-profile Washington lawyer who has been behind several big anti-tobacco cases, continues to solidify his White House ties. Coale, and his high-profile wife, CNN commentator Greta van Susteren, are high-level Scientologists. Some say Coale is taking on certain cases to get closer to Clinton in his anti-tobacco cases and to further Scientology’s various causes. ‘No one ever accused John Coale of being dumb,’ says a source who has dealt with him often as an adversary. ‘His and Greta’s ties with the Clintons certainly don’t hurt them.'”
——————–
“It all depends on what the definition of a ‘win’ is. Somebody claiming they were cured of their asthma or allergies is ridiculous. Somebody saying that auditing made them happier is vague BS also. The only thing you ‘win’ in Scientology is the Booby Prize.”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal. Leah’s appeal brief due June 3.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Two can play that game: Leah Remini presses for another judge change
[TWO years ago] Danny Masterson, the retrial: Jury selection begins this morning and we’re on scene
[THREE years ago] It’s a Scientology Easter bonnet parade: Founder L. Ron Hubbard in his best finery!
[FOUR years ago] Scientology ‘Sea Org’ members are a cut above, and have to prove it day and night
[FIVE years ago] New amended complaint packs a wallop in Miami Scientology child sex assault lawsuit
[SIX years ago] Spyentology: For Scientology, operating as an intelligence agency is a religious mandate
[SEVEN years ago] More proof that L. Ron Hubbard really did want Scientologists to consider him the Antichrist
[EIGHT years ago] Before Scientology’s Xenu was a genocidal galactic overlord, he was a … mountain?
[NINE years ago] Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ at Tribeca today, & more in our social media review
[TEN years ago] Is France dropping its anti-Scientology fervor because Tom Cruise is just too délicieux?
[ELEVEN years ago] Leah Remini ‘Fair Gamed’ by Scientology? Her sister gets a visit, and Tony Dovolani is tailed
[TWELVE years ago] Love in the Time of Miscavige
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,237 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,732 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,247 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,797 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,787 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,173 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,668 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,972 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,841 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,395 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,736 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,303 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,222 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,390 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,972 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,231 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,268 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,984 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,548 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,863 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,038 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,720 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,057 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,911 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,026 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,388 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,797 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,195 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,071 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,636 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,147 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,403 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,511 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 17, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Is Kilmar alive? Van Hollen stymied as Trump amps up allegations against MD dad
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});BREAKING: Senator @ChrisVanHollen just met with El Salvador's Vice President Félix Ulloa, and get this…
The VP told Van Hollen that the reason they are holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia at CECOT is because the Trump administration is paying them to do so.
They also provided no… pic.twitter.com/mHeN9dEB8F
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) April 16, 2025
🚨 Trump's counterterrorism czar Sebastian Gorka says Americans critical of deportations like Abrego Garcia's are providing "material support" to terrorists — a felony crime. https://t.co/Cn4NDSK0kP
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) April 16, 2025
This is the MAGA cult. Claiming the evidence against Garcia is airtight and that the Trump Administration merely withheld it to troll their enemies. These people want Trump to run the government to Own The Libs. pic.twitter.com/T0hIrnq4UJ
— Poker and Politics (@PokerPolitics) April 17, 2025
If Kilmar Abrego Garcia is really MS-13, why is he wearing a shirt like he was going to work when he was arrested? pic.twitter.com/qoha6GVhht
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 17, 2025
Trump began bragging about his administration during the White House Easter Prayer Service and Dinner pic.twitter.com/nC8vd5gHEq
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 17, 2025
NEW from @az_rww: The Phoenix defense contractor expo where ICE’s director said he wants to run deportations like “Amazon Prime but with human beings” was so much worse than you could imagine. https://t.co/QSWeHTvT96
— LEFT COAST RIGHT WATCH (@LCRWnews) April 16, 2025
The records show that Palantir is actively working on the technical infrastructure underpinning the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts which could soon impact U.S. citizens.
🔗 https://t.co/7ObFKx508Chttps://t.co/7ObFKx508C
— 404 Media (@404mediaco) April 16, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 17, 2025 at 08:00
April 16, 2025
Unhinged document shows how Scientology leader David Miscavige sees himself
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Imagine, you are the most important person on the planet, and all around you are nincompoops who can’t do their jobs and keep making it more difficult for you to do yours. This is what Scientology leader David Miscavige has to put up with, according to a newly found document. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
——————–
Technology Cocktail
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“If you look into suppressive person tech you will find an SP has to be out of valence to be SP. He does not know that he is because he is himself in a non-self valence. He is ‘somebody else’ and is denying that he himself exists, which is to say denying himself as a self. Now this doesn’t mean all persons whose graphs dropped were active SPs. But it does mean they weren’t being themselves. After some auditing they became themselves somewhat and this self isn’t the social cheery self the first graph said. But the dropped graph is nearer truth.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1978
——————–
THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
——————–
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond
[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
——————–
“There is a civilization a few galaxies over here that, it’s got spaceships and backpacks and infantry zerp guns, and it’s got this, and it’s got certain types of motorcycles, and it’s got that, and so forth. Probably a lot of you are from there because every time it loses a battle they ship the people over here — the enemy does. They know how to get even. So anyway, this old civilization is just about the meanest area to try to put an idea into it you ever had. You see, they worked it out for years and eons and eons. Been going for billions and trillions and trillions of years with an uninterrupted flow, which is pretty unusual in civilizations anyhow, see, and is on a complete, perfect no-Change. And you say, ‘We got an idea for spaceships.’ Their spaceships aren’t all that good. They’re as good as spaceships can be, but you could undoubtedly make a better spaceship, you see. But they blow up on occasion and they do this on occasion, they do that on occasion. They mess up one way or the other. And yet to try to get any idea across to them fills the hierarchy of that particular activity with absolute horror. Because they’ve lived with and through all of the areas of innovation, and innovation to them is dangerous on a departure from the highly workable.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 16, 1964
——————–
“Division III where has the packaged soup come from? This is strictly against Flag Order. Where are such dishes as bean and ham soup, Irish stew, beef ragout, noodles and tuna, chicken and noodle soup, green pea soup and ham, chili con carne, fresh vegetable soup, baked beans and franks, shepherd’s pie, chicken and dumplings, lentil soup, potato soup, and chicken and rice soup. Midday meals are to be such as these — good and sustaining.” — MarySue Hubbard, Captain, April 16, 1969
——————–
“Leah said on TV that Scientology’s advanced levels are just deluded ‘space opera’ fairy tales. Are Leah and her handler Mike Rinder working for the Shadow USA government?”
——————–
1998: Scientologist George Chelekis was ordered to pay $600,000 to a reporter in a libel suit this week in Vancouver, British Columbia. From the Associated Press: “A Vancouver Sun business reporter won a $600,000 libel judgment over claims he had manufactured negative news about some companies to drive down the price of their shares. The judgment for David Baines, a prize-winning investigative reporter, was the second-largest libel award in Canadian history. In a ruling released Wednesday, the British Columbia Supreme Court said Florida journalist George Chelekis carried on a ‘campaign of vilification with the intention that Baines be left with no credibility.’ The suit against Chelekis and two publishers was filed by lawyers for Southam Inc., which owns the Sun, after a series of articles written by Chelekis were reprinted in the two newsletters and carried over the Internet. Chelekis accused Baines, whose articles have exposed mining company and Vancouver stock exchange abuses, of threatening his life and that of his secretary, as well as of making up unfavorable news about some companies.”
——————–
“I took two trazodone at least six hours ago and I woke up and it’s only an hour later. What the hell is going on? Did the Fifth Invader Force land?”
——————–
Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Next sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
——————–
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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?
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Judge to rule that Jane Doe has proved Scientology arbitration ‘unconscionable’
[TWO years ago] Group Therapy, Ep. 16: The full gang is back, with an episode for everyone!
[THREE years ago] Updated for 2022: Where in the world are Scientologists actually located?
[FOUR years ago] Matt Willis pressured to divorce by Scientology? Our experts back him up.
[FIVE years ago] Ex-con who says he’s returned L. Ron Hubbard has an indie Scientology revolt on his hands
[SIX years ago] Leah Remini: Where’s the outrage about Scientology’s disappeared?
[SEVEN years ago] Scientologists, gullible? Would they fall for a felon saying he’s the returned L. Ron Hubbard?
[EIGHT years ago] She ‘graduated’ from Scientology’s drug rehab, which told her she was cured. Now she’s dead.
[NINE years ago] More Atlanta video: David Miscavige cuts the ribbon on Scientology’s new real estate venture!
[TEN years ago] Scientology spy caught trying to interview Paul Haggis as fake ‘Time’ magazine reporter
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology takes aim at the latest move by the Garcias in their federal fraud suit
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Means Never Having to Tell an Ashtray You’re Sorry
——————–
Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,236 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,731 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,246 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,796 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,786 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,172 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,667 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,971 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,840 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,394 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,735 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,302 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,221 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,389 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,971 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,230 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,267 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,983 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,547 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,862 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,037 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,719 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,056 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,910 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,025 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,387 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,796 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,194 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,070 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,635 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,146 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,402 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,510 days.
——————–
Posted by Tony Ortega on April 16, 2025 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
Q patriots love the libturd panic as Trump takes aim at Harvard
Some links to Q-related items today
Advertisement(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Trump threatens to remove tax exempt status of Harvard University pic.twitter.com/sf9uPBmQNt
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 15, 2025
Trump’s late night rant against MSNBC / NBC / Comcast pic.twitter.com/NfOsRxt4yG
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 16, 2025
GOP Rep. Brian Mast was relentlessly booed after telling his town hall audience that he loves DOGE. pic.twitter.com/RWA7hJc3RX
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 15, 2025
NEW: 4chan is down after a reported hack which saw what appears to be internal data, including the personal email addresses of admins and moderators, leaked online https://t.co/VYj7IF7ttq
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) April 15, 2025
The WSJ says Elon Musk has “at least” 14 kids but it could be “much higher” pic.twitter.com/bIm7R3Ij5f
— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) April 16, 2025
WSJ: Elon Musk wanted to build a compound for all his babies and baby mamas to live in pic.twitter.com/3gYMEVnzmf
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 16, 2025
Elon Musk text message to Ashley St. Clair about his reproduction goals:
“To reach legion-level before the apocalypse we will need to use surrogates.” pic.twitter.com/qIeAWiXMHp
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 16, 2025
How classy pic.twitter.com/kmE369hyg0
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 15, 2025
Looking for some background on the QAnon movement? We recommend Travis View’s excellent 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 16, 2025 at 08:00
Tony Ortega's Blog
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