June 22 in Scientology history

Our friend Mark Bunker is in the news again. But this time it isn't about what scientology is doing to Fair Game him. Some of you may have seen the announcement that Wise Beard Man intends to run for a seat on the Clearwater City Commission. It was reported in the Tampa Bay Times yesterday. Clearwater, Bunker said, has "got a unique problem here in Scientology. And I think the city ought to balance it out with a unique council member who understands Scientology."

Tags: 2020, Bill Horne, California, Caribbean, Clearwater, Critic, David Miscavige, Ed Armstrong, Facebook, Fair Game, Freewinds, Gabe Cazares, Google, Keith Raniere, Mark Bunker, Mary Repper, Office of Special Affairs, OT, Pam Aiken, Pinellas County, Quicky, Scientology and the Aftermath, Sea Org, Tampa Bay Times, Twitter, Wally Pope, Wise Beard Man

The Jane Doe lawsuit filed by a powerhouse legal team on Tuesday, accusing the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige of false imprisonment, kidnapping, stalking, libel, slander, human trafficking, labor violations, and negligence has naturally produced a big media reaction and cheers from ex-Scientologists and longtime Scientology watchers. More lawsuits are promised, and we know about some of the plaintiffs the team is also representing — and we can say that the media and public reaction to what's coming will likely be even more explosive. But headlines aside, these are civil lawsuits that are being filed, not criminal charges, and after an initial thrill when such actions are filed, they tend to settle down into a long and somewhat predictable legal slog.

Tags: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, A&E, Bert Deixler, Brian Kent, California, Child abuse, Christmas, Church of Scientology International, Church of Spiritual Technology, Claire Headley, David Miscavige, Disney, Fair Game, First Amendment, Freewinds, Hemet, Human trafficking, Int Base, Lake Arrowhead, Laura DeCrescenzo, Leah Remini, Los Angeles, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Marci Hamilton, Monique Rathbun, Monique Yingling, NBC, Paris, Quicky, Religious worker, Scientology and the Aftermath, Scientology lawyer, Sea Org, Sexual assault, Shelly Miscavige, Texas, The Hole, Tom Cruise, University of Pennsylvania, Valerie Haney

Tags: Quicky, Regraded Being

Last October, we sent Michele Fiore's office a request for information, and we never received a reply. What we wanted to know was, what was the infamous Nevada politician doing on Scientology's private cruise ship, the Freewinds? Since then, we've noticed that Ms. Fiore, in interviews, is awfully quick to bring up one of Scientology's pet issues — that psychiatric drugs are what cause mass shootings — and to direct reporters to information from Scientology front group the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. And just yesterday, Pete Griffiths forwarded to us a notice that the Las Vegas Scientology Ideal Org would be hosting a Drug-Free World event on Tuesday, and its guest speaker is the gun-toting city councilwoman.

Tags: Alec Nevala-Lee, Brent Jones, Bridge to Total Freedom, CCHR, Clearwater, Flag Land Base, Florida, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Freewinds, Houston, HowdyCon, Ideal Org, L. Ron Hubbard, Las Vegas, Mat Pesch, Michele Fiore, Nevada, OT 8, Pete Griffiths, Quicky, Scientology executive, Tom DeVocht

In November of 2015, I interviewed Kristiana Miner, a survivor of a Christian cult started by Bill Gothard and whose teachings are propagated by the Institute in Basic Life Principles or IBLP in Illinois. Having survived Scientology and now looking into other destructive cults and how they operate, I was amazed at the similarities between Scientology and what Bill Gothard put together and this caused me to look much deeper into the details of the IBLP. This group has fostered some powerful connections in the world of politics and education and has been purposefully mis-represented on entertainment mass media such as TLC as a sort of quaint Christian sect who seem to have a fondness for creating large families a la the Duggars. The truth is actually much darker than that. Unfortunately, these connections and lies have given the IBLP a lot more traction and acceptance than it ever should have received. In this video, we are going to explore just how deep down the rabbit hole Bill Gothard and the IBLP go. While Gothard claims that the principles he offers are the only true route to Heaven and eternal glory under God's forgiving hand, the truth is that it's more like an express elevator to Hell, and I'm not being melodramatic. After you hear all of what we have to say, especially about many of the children raised under Gothard's principles, you'll see what we mean. These children who were never given a chance to decide or choose what they wanted to believe or how they wanted to act. Gothard made grand promises over the years to many parents and families who were looking for nothing more than a safe and sure way to raise their kids in a God-fearing manner and achieve success and happiness. The one caveat is that it all depends on doing exactly what Bill Gothard says and thinking the way he says to think. So let's look into this whole thing and see how it was all put together. Who is Bill Gothard? William W. Gothard, Jr. was born on November 2nd, 1934. He was raised in a very devout Christian home, and his father (Bill, Sr.) worked for the Gideons - yes, the same people who put Bibles in hotel rooms.

Tags: 1934, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, Abuse, Arkansas, Bill Gothard, California, Catholic, Child abuse, Child Protective Services, Christian, Florida, George Orwell, Georgia, Illinois, Independent, Indiana, Indianapolis, Institute in Basic Life Principles, Jeb Bush, Jesus, Louisiana, Mary Fallin, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Quicky, Wheaton College

The widow of Casey Kasem has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio personality's three adult children from another marriage. Jean Kasem claims that Kerri, Mike and Julie Kasem, along with Julie's husband and their attorney Troy Martin, perpetrated a "homicidal guardianship scam" and, per a statement, "chemically restrained their father and then killed him to go after Casey and Jean's financial assets." Jean is also accusing the Kasem children of harassment and making fraudulent claims of elder abuse as part of their attempts to gain guardianship over Kasem. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Kerri Kasem denied the claims. "The only homicidal part was her unplugging my father's IV and feeding tube and leaving the hospital with my dad," Kerri says. "If a mom delivered a preemie and said, 'You know what? I'm going to take this baby home. I don't care what you say' and the baby died three weeks later, that mom would've been brought up on murder charges." Kasem died June 15th, 2014 at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington. According to Jean Kasem's new suit, Kerri picked up her father at his home on June 1st and took him to St. Anthony Hospital, even though there was a hospital one block away. Kasem was accompanied by his personal physician, Dr. Donald Sharman, but was examined at St. Anthony by Dr. Joseph Regimbal, who reportedly cleared Kasem to leave and praised the care being administered to him at home.

Tags: 2007, Casey Kasem, Donald Sharman, Gig Harbor, Jean Kasem, Joseph Regimbal, Julie Kasem, Kerri Kasem, Liberty Kasem, Mike Kasem, Norway, Ramon Basa, St. Anthony Hospital, Troy Martin, Washington

Our thanks once again to Observer, who has worked tirelessly to help us get the word out about our second annual gathering, HowdyCon 2017. We've really enjoyed her 70s-themed images of some of the illustrious folks who will be joining us in our little meetup. Last year, we met for the first time in Cleveland, Ohio. And what a time we had. Carnegie Mellon University professor Dave Touretzky flew out in his private plane, Pete Griffiths and Johnny Tank came all the way from Europe, and the little Fly larvae honored Steve "Captain Howdy" Cox with a shark costume. Some of the early arrivals are flying and driving to Denver today. The reliable Kim O'Brien has arranged everything, and she wanted us to give out her email address (kimob2 AT gmail DOT com) and she'll let you know where this evening's festivities are.

Tags: 2015, Alanna Masterson, Bernie Headley, Brian Sheen, Captain Howdy, Carnegie Mellon, Cindy Plahuta, Claire Headley, Cleveland, Colin Henderson, David Touretzky, Denver, Derek Bloch, Disconnection, Europe, HowdyCon, Jamie Sorrentini, Joe Reaiche, Kate Bornstein, Kim O'Brien, Lois Reisdorf, Lori Hodgson, Marc Headley, Marie Bilheimer, Mary Jane Sterne, Mary Kahn, Mike Rinder, My Scientology Movie, Ohio, OT, Paulette Cooper, Pete Griffiths, Quailynn McDaniel, Quicky, Ramana Dienes-Browning, Renata Lugli, Sara Goldberg, sugarplumfairy, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, Warren Young, Willie Jones

Marty Explains the ASC

Tags: Quicky

It's big news Spoiler alert. Save you needing to attend. You are expected to get more money for Ideal Orgs. More money for the IAS. More money for the FSO. More money for the FSSO. More money for planetary dissemination. More money for WTH campaigns. More money for CCHR. More money for Narconon. More money for Youth For Human Rights. More money for the LRH Hall. Just more money. The Big Push

Tags: Adelaide, Brisbane, Canada, Caribbean, CCHR, Clear, Columbus, Dublin, Flag Service Organization, Flag Ship Service Organization, Hawaii, Humanitarian, Ideal Org, International Association of Scientologists, LRH Hall, Maiden Voyage, Narconon, OT, OT Ambassador, Quicky, Sec Check, Thursday Funnies, Tom Cruise, Tom Cummins, USA, Youth for Human Rights International

NEW YORK An executive with a Beverly Hills gallery and auction house was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and one day in prison after admitting that he conspired to smuggle at least $1 million in animal products that included rhino horn and elephant ivory. Joseph Chait, 38, a senior auction administrator for his family's business, I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan after pleading guilty in March to conspiring to smuggle wildlife products. His attorney, Judith Germano, had asked the judge for a sentence of community service. She said that Chait risked being cut off from his family, which raised him in the Church of Scientology, by cooperating with prosecutors. "My actions were wrong and I regret them every single day," Chait said before being sentenced. He also said that in a "weird way," he was grateful for the criminal case because it "has allowed me to break the chains of my upbringing." Prosecutors said that Chait falsified customs forms by stating ivory and rhino horn were made of bone, wood or plastic. After a rhino carving sold at auction for $230,000, Chait made false documents putting the value at $108.75, and saying the object was made of plastic, prosecutors said. He and others also sold ivory carvings to a Chinese dealer and provided them to that dealer's courier, even after learning the buyer had been arrested in China for smuggling ivory purchased from Chait's auction house, prosecutors said. The case comes as conservationists and law enforcement officials in the United States and globally have been trying to crack down on the illegal trade in products from the two threatened species. U.S. authorities say rhino horn-made libation cups and ornamental carvings made from elephant ivory are particularly in demand in Asia, namely China and Hong Kong. That is resulting in a thriving black market. Most species of rhinoceros are extinct or on the brink of extinction as a result, and elephants are under threat in many countries.

Tags: Beverly Hills, China, Chinese, Hong Kong, I.M. Chait Gallery, Joseph Chait, Judith Germano, Manhattan, Mongolia, Nate Raymond, New York, Nicholas Cage, Quicky

NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - An executive with a Beverly Hills gallery and auction house was sentenced on Wednesday to one year and one day in prison after admitting that he conspired to smuggle at least $1 million in animal products that included rhino horn and elephant ivory. Joseph Chait, 38, a senior auction administrator for his family's business, I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken in Manhattan after pleading guilty in March to conspiring to smuggle wildlife products. His attorney, Judith Germano, had asked the judge for a sentence of community service. She said that Chait risked being cut off from his family, which raised him in the Church of Scientology, by cooperating with prosecutors.

Tags: Beverly Hills, China, Chinese, Disconnection, Hong Kong, I.M. Chait Gallery, Joseph Chait, Judith Germano, Manhattan, Mongolia, Nate Raymond, New York, Nicholas Cage, Reuters

Somehow an OT VIII, Super Power and L's completion had "all sorts of problems, ridges and inabilities"... Not much of a recommendation for the results of hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of slog. She then goes on to explain that all you really need to go OT is The Basics, Congresses and ACC's...

Tags: Basics, Clearing Course, Congress, Dianetics, OT, OT III, OT VIII, Quicky, Super Power

Joseph Chait, of the tony I.M. Chait Gallery, copped to two smuggling counts in Manhattan federal court on March 9. During public court proceedings, Chait's lawyer, Judith Germano, asked the court to take into account what she described as the physical and mental abuse he sustained during his upbringing in the Church of Scientology.

Tags: I.M. Chait Gallery, Joseph Chait, Mongolia, Nicholas Cage

After the readers of this website once again came through for former Scientologists Phil and Willie Jones, contributing several thousand dollars for another "Call Me" billboard to raise awareness of Scientology's "disconnection" policy, the Las Vegas couple are announcing that they have signed a contract for a billboard in Clearwater, Florida. On July 21, the new billboard will be dedicated, and Phil wanted us to announce the news so he can get the biggest crowd possible. "Willie and I are putting up one of our 'Call Me' billboards in Clearwater and will be heading out there for a few days for the official launch. We definitely would love to see any and all Clearwater people there. The billboard launch is on July 21 at 11am. I'll announce the exact location shortly. This is the next major step in our campaign to bring awareness to Scientology's toxic practice of enforced disconnection. This message represents all those who have suffered the abuse of Scientology disconnection. Let's work to end this horrible practice," he says.

Tags: 2012, Call Me, Clearwater, David Miscavige, DEA, Disconnection, European Court of Human Rights, Flag Land Base, Florida, Hollywood, Lamar Media, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Moscow, Quicky, Russia, Scientology staff, St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin, Willie Jones

The Federal Security Service has conducted 14 simultaneous raids on the Church of Scientology offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It seized documents that could shed light on the organization's illegal financial dealings in Russia. The simultaneous raid across the two cities follow the November 2015 court decision in Moscow that ruled that the Church of Scientology did not comply with federal laws on freedom of religion, as it used its trademark for financial gain. The ruling backed by the Justice Ministry said that since the Church of Scientology had registered its name as a US trademark, it can't call itself a religious entity. As the Russian court banned the activities of the Moscow branch, the organization threatened to appeal the decision claiming that it violates the rights of its parishioners.

Tags: 2015, Ekaterina Zaborskikh, Federal Security Service, Money laundering, Moscow, Nataliya Alekseeva, Raid, Russia, St. Petersburg (Russia)

While the American IRS refuses to actually enforce its own rules and revoke Scientology's 501(c)(3) tax exemption for the Cult's continuing violations of public policy, child labor, fraud, hoarding wealth while keeping Sea Org members in grinding poverty and servitude, false imprisonment, unconscionable contracts, and bad faith towards its own members, the Russians are very clear that Scientology is a dirty Mafia-style business. Footage from Russian raid of Scientology Orgs in Moscow and St. Petersburg of June 21, 2016: From the UK Guardian: Russia's security service has raided over a dozen locations linked to the Church of Scientology in the latest step of a long-running battle between authorities and the US-based organisation.

Tags: 2012, 2014, Cult, David Miscavige, Ekaterina Zaborskikh, Federal Security Service, IRS, Moscow, Narconon, Quicky, Raid, Russia, Scientology Media Productions, Sea Org, St. Petersburg (Russia), UK

http://www.familiesagainstcultteachin... Cult expert Steven Hassan believes everyone is vulnerable to undue influence (the legal term for mind control) for the reasons stated in this video.

Tags: Brainwashing, Cult, Quicky, Steven Hassan

It's day one of the Scientology studies conference that's been organized in Toronto by Jon Atack, and we've already had a blast. Yesterday, we arrived and began hanging out with a stellar list of people who appear regularly in stories here at the Underground Bunker. When, for example, do you expect to find Gerry Armstrong sitting with Hana Whitfield? Come on, this is amazing. The conference gets going today at 9:30 am Eastern time, and we'll provide some live coverage as we watch Atack get things going. Today's subject is supposed to be L. Ron Hubbard's early history.

Tags: Australia, Bryan Seymour, Chris Shelton, Europe, Gerry Armstrong, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Hana Whitfield, Humfrey Hunter, Jesse Prince, Jon Atack, Jonny Jacobsen, London, Miss Lovely, Paris, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Silvertail Books, Spanky Taylor, Steve Cannane, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, Toronto

The hype has started. Though some of this is "damning with faint praise," especially this first one... "This event had a lot of information" hardly falls into the "monumental milestone, best ever in the history of evers" we have come to expect. "Had a lot of information" would describe an out loud reading of the owner's manual of a new car...

Tags: Basel, Battle Creek, Bogotá, Chairman of the Board, Colombia, Curaçao, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Ideal Org, L. Ron Hubbard, Maiden Voyage, Narconon, North Korea, OT, OT Ambassador, OT Committee, OTC, Planetary Clearing, Quicky, Religious Technology Center, South America, Squirrel, Tim Jones

Here is the latest from the Flag OTC — pre-prepared to launch once MV was over... This is one well-oiled machine — or perhaps a well-oiliness machine? May the Force be with you. And blessings from the Galactic Samurai.

Tags: Maria Robb, Org Board, OT, OTC, Quicky, Student Hat, Sue Young

It's that time of the week again, when we share with you some of the great Scientology mailers and fliers that were forwarded to us by our worldwide tipsters. You'll find some of our comments a bit less cheery this week. We can't help it. These Scientology fliers are getting so desperate, it's really becoming embarrassing. First up, a report from Scientology's wuss. Er, rather, WUS. Which stands for Western United States. Which is a continent, by Scientology reckoning.

Tags: Dianetics, Los Angeles, Mental Health, Mike Rinder, OT, OT VIII, Quicky, Quinn Taufer, Sunday Funnies, Valley Ideal Org

WHEN his former partner gave up alcohol, Matt Sutherland thought Universal Medicine must be a good thing. But it wasn't long before he says he got "sucked in" to a movement that was controlling his entire life.

Tags: Bangalow, Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine

Recently, we got a story tip from a man named Edouard Ravel. The name didn't ring a bell, and he had to explain to us that he was better known as "sue." As in the guy who owns and runs WhyWeProtest.net, the Internet home of Project Chanology, the anti-Scientology arm of Anonymous? Indeed, it was. It turned out that Ravel had revealed his real identity nearly two years ago, but the news hadn't reached us, and we hadn't seen anything written about the man. So we thought it might be fun to have a talk with the guy who operates one of the more fascinating locations in cyberspace.

Tags: 2008, Anonymous, David Miscavige, France, Google, Jon Atack, Mark Bunker, Netherlands, Office of Special Affairs, Private investigator, Project Chanology, Quicky, Scientology organization, WhyWeProtest

One of our Special Correspondents sent in some additional information concerning Matt Feshbach's skill in applying financial policy to his life (see earlier post here). Gives a less than complimentary picture of his history. It is not that I have any personal vendetta about Matt Feshbach or anyone else. It's that he is still held up as a poster child of success, and it is a lie. Here is the update:

Tags: 2001, 2004, 2008, Beverly Hills, CNN, David Miscavige, Feshbach Brothers, Florida, Matt Feshbach, Quicky, Wedding

We've been telling you for the past year about the large number of longtime Scientologists who are walking away from their church. It seems like nearly every week we hear about someone like Dave Fagen who gives up after years of dedication because of the continuing crisis over David Miscavige's leadership. One thing about people who have been in Scientology for so long is that they tend to be conditioned to spend huge amounts of money for L. Ron Hubbard's "technology" -- counseling at the upper levels (called "auditing") can reach $1,000 an hour. In order to keep that cash coming in, the church encourages members to keep large sums of money on account. When they leave, ex-Scientologists often find that one of the challenges facing them is how to get back the money they didn't get around to using for services. And with so many people leaving, that's not only becoming a bigger problem for them, but also for the church, which naturally doesn't want to lose all that cash.

Tags: 1919, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1983, 1993, 1996, 1999, Adelaide, Advance!, Apollo, Appeal, Bert Schippers, Bolivar, Brian Leung, Clear, Clearwater, Dave Fagen, David Miscavige, Debbie Cook, Dianetics, End Phenomena, Facebook, First Amendment, Florida, Heber Jentzsch, Judge John Schaefer, Kha Khan, L. Ron Hubbard, Los Angeles, Lynne Hoverson, Mary Sue Hubbard, Mediterranean, Orders of the Day, Org Board, OT, OT Phenomena, PAC Base, Pinellas County, Police, Pope, Quicky, Refund, Scam, Scientology executive, Scott Pilutik, Seattle, Super Power, Suppressive Person, Tampa Bay Times, Telex, Texas, The Master, TIME, Touch Assist, UK, US Supreme Court, Valencia, Wally Pope

Kate Bornstein is a transsexual writer, performance artist and outspoken activist. But that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of her fascinating life. She spent more than a decade as a member of the Church of Scientology, even becoming one of the organization's highest-ranking members. In her new memoir Queer and Pleasant Danger, Bornstein opens up about her time in the controversial group and how her life has been since she was excommunicated.

Tags: A Queer and Pleasant Danger, Disconnection, Kate Bornstein, Suppressive Person

The National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) announced the winners of its 62nd Annual Journalism Awards on Friday, with THR senior writer Daniel Miller taking one of the top awards. Miller was recognized with the Best Entry by a Young Journalist Award, in addition to winning his category (Best Real Estate, Mortgage or Financial Report in a Magazine) for his feature on the Church of Scientology's buying spree in Hollywood. "In what the judges felt was the strongest category in this year's contest, this was a novel story that connected the dots about the Church of Scientology and its expanding real estate holdings in Hollywood. The outstanding reporting was deep, hard hitting, and yet entirely fair. The writer clearly knows how to keep the reader turning the page," the judges said of Miller's piece.

Tags: Daniel Miller, Hollywood, Journalist, Mortgage, Ohio, Quicky, Real estate

One place I haven't seen the story mentioned: Greta Wire -- the blog maintained by Fox News Channel anchor and Scientologist Greta Van Susteren. Though she has four posts up today, referencing everything from the mysterious voluntary disappearance of South Carolina's governor to a staffer from her show who was whacked by a foul ball at a baseball game, Van Susteren hasn't yet posted an entry on the story, though some of her commenters have referenced it. (A St. Petersburg Times story in 1998 referenced how low-key Van Susteren and her husband, John Coale, can be about their membership in the church.)

Tags: Greta Van Susteren, Kirstie Alley

The Church of Scientology is a hot topic any day on the Internet. But now the blogosphere has lit up with comments about the St. Petersburg Times' special report on Scientology leader David Miscavige and the details revealed by two key figures in Scientology's powerful inner circle, Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder, the highest-ranking executives to leave the church. Here are some of the latest comments and posts from other media sources.

Tags: 1970, 1991, 2001, Associated Press, Bohemian Rhapsody, California, Chicago Sun-Times, Christian, Clearwater, Commodore's Messenger Organization, Cult, Daily Beast, David Miscavige, Deadline, England, Europe, Florida, Gawker, GlossLip, Hollywood, Huffington Post, Jason Beghe, Joe Childs, John Travolta, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Minnesota, MSNBC, Musical Chairs, New York Press, News organization, news.com.au, Scientology staff, Sea Org, Skip Press, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa, Thomas C. Tobin, Time Warner, Times of India, Tom Cruise, Tommy Davis, Twitter, USA Today, Village Voice

The night after Lisa McPherson died, the leader of the Church of Scientology sent word for one of his top lieutenants to wait by a pay phone at the Holiday Inn Surfside on Clearwater Beach. When Marty Rathbun answered the ringing phone in the lobby, David Miscavige let him have it: Why aren't you all over this mess? The police are poking around. Do something. "Yes sir," Rathbun said. McPherson, a 36-year-old parishioner in apparent good health, had spent 17 days in a guarded room at the church's Fort Harrison Hotel. Scientology staffers tried to nurse her out of a mental breakdown, but she became ill. She drew her last breaths in the back seat of a van as they drove her to a hospital in the next county.

Tags: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, Alain Kartuzinski, Angie Blankenship, Baker Act, Benadryl, Bernie McCabe, California, Clear, Clearwater, Clearwater Police Department, Conspiracy, Dallas, David Minkoff, David Miscavige, Don Jason, E-meter, Flag Service Organization, Florida, Fort Harrison, Golden Age of Tech, Hollywood, International Association of Scientologists, IRS, Janis Johnson, Jessica Feshbach, Joan Wood, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Medical, Mental breakdown, Mike Rinder, Monique Yingling, Morton Plant Hospital, New Port Richey Hospital, Paris, Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, Room 174, Scientology lawyer, Scientology staff, Tampa, Tax exempt, Tom Cruise, Tom DeVocht, Tommy Davis, Washington, William Walsh, Yahoo!

A former high-ranking Scientology official who handled the case of a mentally ill member who died under church care ordered the destruction of incriminating evidence to cover up missteps, a newspaper reported Monday. The ex-official and church defector, Marty Rathbun, had for years insisted the church did nothing wrong in handling the case of Lisa McPherson's death on Dec. 5, 1995. But he recently told the St. Petersburg Times the church botched the woman's case from the start.

Tags: Bernie McCabe, David Minkoff, David Miscavige, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Tommy Davis

At a ceremony at the Fort Harrison Hotel in September 1995, Lisa McPherson was designated "clear," meaning that through Scientology counseling, she had rid herself of all interference from troubling memories buried in her subconscious. Two months later she had a nervous breakdown. After 17 days in Scientology's care, she was dead.

Tags: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004, AMC Publishing, Arizona, Bernie McCabe, Clearwater, Dallas, David Minkoff, Florida, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Fort Harrison, Janis Johnson, Joan Wood, L. Ron Hubbard, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Morton Plant Hospital, New Port Richey, OT, Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, Police, Scientology staff, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa, TIME

One of the enduring tax mysteries is the 26-year battle between the Church of Scientology and the IRS (documented here), culminating in a 1993 settlement (during Fred Goldberg's stint as Commissioner) in which the IRS agreed to grant tax exempt status to the church (Rev. Rul. 93-73, 1993-2 C.B. 75) , which in turn agreed to drop its multi-front litigation "war" against the IRS. Yesterday's St. Petersburg Times began a three-part special report on the church, with Part 1 including details of the Scientology-IRS settlement (today's Part 2 is here):

Tags: Coalition of IRS Whistleblowers, David Miscavige, Fred Goldberg, IRS, Marty Rathbun, William Walsh

A former high-ranking Scientology official who handled the case of a mentally ill member who died under church care ordered the destruction of incriminating evidence to cover up missteps, a newspaper reported Monday. The ex-official and church defector, Marty Rathbun, had for years insisted the church did nothing wrong in handling the case of Lisa McPherson's death on Dec. 5, 1995. But he recently told the St. Petersburg Times the church botched the woman's case from the start.

Tags: Bernie McCabe, David Minkoff, David Miscavige, Lisa McPherson, Marty Rathbun, Tommy Davis

The leader of the Church of Scientology hit senior member of the religion, four former high-ranking executives have claimed. The four who have since left the organisation said they saw David Miscavige, chairman of the board that oversees the church, strike staff members dozens of times, often without warning. 'It was random and whimsical. It could be the look on your face. Or not answering a question quickly. But it always was a punishment,' said Mike Rinder, who oversaw the church's legal and media relations operations.

Tags: 1946, 1954, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016, Amy Scobee, Associated Press, BBC, California, Celebrity Centre, Clearwater, David Miscavige, E-meter, Florida, John Travolta, Los Angeles, Madrid, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Monique Yingling, Operating Thetan, OT, Paris, St. Petersburg Times, Tom Cruise, Tom DeVocht, Tommy Davis, Violence

The leader of the controversial Church of Scientology routinely physically attacked members of his management team, according to former executives, a Florida newspaper has reported. Defectors from the controversial organisation who spoke to the St Petersburg Times told the paper that David Miscavige was "constantly denigrating and beating on people". Mike Rinder, the church's spokesman for decades, said he was attacked by Miscavige some 50 times.

Tags: Amy Scobee, David Miscavige, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Tom DeVocht, Violence

The executives, who have since left the organization, told the St. Petersburg Times that they witnessed David Miscavige, chairman of the board that oversees the church, hit staff members dozens of times. "It was random and whimsical. It could be the look on your face. Or not answering a question quickly. But it always was a punishment," said Mike Rinder, who oversaw the church's legal and media relations operations. Rinder said that he was struck many times by Miscavige and that he also hit others before leaving in 2007.

Tags: Amy Scobee, David Miscavige, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Monique Yingling, Tom DeVocht, Tommy Davis

Scientology can seem more silly than scary, with its zany mythology, made-up lingo, and Tom Cruise. But it was no joke when the group's leaders set out to destroy investigative journalist Paulette Cooper's life.

Tags: Fair Game, Paulette Cooper

Scientologists are taking advantage of Germany's education problems for their own ends: They are luring weak students by providing after-school tutoring. Education authorities in Germany are on alert.

Tags: Applied Scholastics, Germany

"Think of patterning as a kind of closed-brain surgery," says Janet Doman, Glenn Doman's daughter, who now runs the organization. Like the Youngs, Doman is a member of the Church of Scientology, though she says there is no connection between the organization and the church. "Without having to take a kid in the OR and crack his skull, we can actually access the subcortical area of the brain to teach him how to crawl."

Tags: Autism, Clearwater, Edward Zigler, Glenn Doman, Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, Janet Doman, Kitty Young, Philadelphia, Quackwatch, Ray Wunderlich

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Church of Scientology won a partial victory Thursday when a judge dismissed one of four counts in a 4-year-old wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of Lisa McPherson. In one of his final acts overseeing the case, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Frank Quesada dismissed the count alleging that McPherson was falsely imprisoned.

Tags: 1995, Ben Shaw, Clearwater, Fort Harrison, Judge Frank Quesada, Judge Susan Schaeffer, Ken Dandar, Kendrick Moxon, Lisa McPherson civil case, Scientology staff

In 1986, Prouty's book-length manuscript, The Role Of Intelligence In The Cold War, appeared as a series in a magazine called Freedom, published by the church of Scientology. Like other assassination critics, he found an outlet via the Liberty Lobby, a far-right organisation with ties to Holocaust deniers.

Tags: L Fletcher Prouty

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Church of Scientology is demanding that the Internal Revenue Service surrender all covert intelligence files related to the case of an ex-member who won a $39 million fraud judgment. Church officials are awaiting Multnomah County Circuit Judge Donald Londer's decision on a motion for a mistrial in the jury's award last month to Julie Christofferson Titchbourne. She charged Scientologists with defrauding her by claiming that Scientology courses would improve her intelligence and eyesight.

Tags: Internal Revenue Service, IRS, John Carmichael, Judge Donald Londer, Julie Titchbourne, Marshall Shaffner, Multnomah County, Portland, Quicky

Spokesmen for several national antidrug organizations and D.C. Delegate Walter Fauntroy announced yesterday that they will hold a "celebration of the family" on July 4 at Lafayette Square as part of a national campaign to eliminate teen-age drug abuse and strengthen family values. In hosting the celebration, the organizers of the celebration have thwarted the efforts of a pro-marijuana group, the Youth International Party, commonly called Yippies, to hold their annual July 4 marijuana smoke-in at Lafayette Square. The antidrug groups applied for a permit to use the square one day before the Yippies applied for one. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Park Service said that permits to use the square are approved on a first-come, first-served basis. The celebration, a program of speeches and musical entertainment, is being sponsored by the National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth, the D.C. Congress of Parents and Teachers, the local chapters of Toughlove and Straight, Inc. -- two staunch antidrug groups -- and several dozen other family and antidrug organizations. Fauntroy said that the groups represent "a serious but informal coalition to reinforce the support for a healthy environment for our children."

Tags: 1970, Congress, Drug Free America