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Mike Rinder's Blog

Something Can Be Done About It

To Speak, or Not To Speak

By 199 Comments

THIS IS IMPORTANT

Leah Remini: Scientology and The Aftermath is reaching far and wide. As a result, there are a lot of people coming forward with their own stories of abuse in the church. We set up an email for people to report things (knowledgereports@hushmail.com) and soon hope to have a website (if I can find the time to put it together).

But there is one thing that has come up repeatedly that I wanted to comment on publicly.  The supposed “confidentiality agreements” many have signed. Though this mostly applies to those signed by Sea Org members, most staff and many public have also signed such agreements.

I now come to find that Scientology Ethics Officers have apparently made a habit of lying to people that such agreements (laden with draconian financial penalties for “breaching” the agreement) prevent them from even reporting crimes. This is simply NOT true. NO agreement or contract may prevent you or anyone from reporting a crime to law enforcement or testifying truthfully about it. No matter what some MAA may have said to you, you are not only free to report any crime you witnessed, you have an obligation to testify truthfully about it if you are asked to do so by law enforcement.

But alarmingly, even this lie is apparently embellished even further.

Some people have been convinced by unscrupulous (or woefully ignorant) MAA’s that they must not even MENTION that they signed such an agreement because to do so would be a violation of the agreement. And thus they must not only NOT say anything about crimes they may have witnessed, and if asked, they must NOT say it is because they “signed an agreement.” They must act dumb. Literally. This is a terrible, false and probably illegal LIE designed to suppress evidence of wrongdoing and pervert the course of justice.

Generally, these “confidentiality” agreements that so many people have signed are not legally enforceable. But you might wonder: “So why does the church use them? They have expensive lawyers and surely if they are not valid the lawyers have told them so?” Well, the lawyers HAVE told them so.  But they are counting on the fact that people BELIEVE they have validity and because they have been led to believe scientology will come after them for millions of dollars in “damages” if they “violate the agreement” even though they are useless in a legal sense. The misinformation about these agreements keeps a lot of people quiet. So, from scientology’s perspective, for the cost of a few sheets of paper, they have convinced 98% of the people who have signed them that they may never disclose anything they saw or experienced in scientology. That’s a pretty good cost/benefit ratio.

If you have been the victim of a crime or a witness to it, and you believed you could not report it because you were told you had signed a legal document that prevented you from doing so, it is another scientology LIE.

REPORT WHAT YOU KNOW TO THE APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. 

In addition to the fact that no contract can prevent anyone from reporting a crime, there are other reasons that make such agreements unenforceable.  What if you are not sure that what you witnessed or experienced is actually illegal, but you know it is wrong, and want to talk about it with someone? Can you?

Generally (and this is put in layman’s terms and is not the advice of a lawyer — but it is the opinion of someone VERY experienced in these matters) you cannot be bound by a contract:

  • You signed when you were a minor.
  • If you did not know what you were signing, did not understand the consequences and had no opportunity to consult with a lawyer
  • The contract is one-sided. You give up rights and scientology gives up nothing and doesn’t provide adequate consideration for what you give away
  • You felt you were coerced into signing the agreement — you had no choice and the consequences of not signing were so dire that you signed even though you had doubts

There are other reasons that make a contract unenforceable. But commonly, one or more of the above is true for ANY contract you signed when you were in scientology and almost certainly if you were in the Sea Org.

Scientology is not suing anyone for violating these agreements. They never have and they never will. In recent memory, scientology filed ONE lawsuit over breach of an agreement. They sued Debbie Cook. And her agreement had been drafted specifically for her (it was not a generic “confidentiality agreement” that everyone signs), it was signed on video in the presence of a lawyer who asked if she was doing it of her own free will, and she was handed a check for $50,000 in exchange for signing the agreement. But after one day of testimony about the circumstances under which she signed it and why, the church backed out of court like they had been hit between the legs with as stun gun. That attempted suit went nowhere other than into a disastrous tailspin of horrifying negative media for scientology.

Scientology has not sued me, and I signed these agreements too. They have not sued Marty Rathbun. Or Amy Scobee. Or Marc and Claire Headley. Or Jeff Hawkins. Or anyone. And they all signed them too.

I urge you now: If you have witnessed physical assault, sexual assault, child abuse, been brought into the country by the church under false pretenses, or on a church arranged visa and had your passport confiscated, if you were asked to lie to law enforcement on behalf of scientology or asked to cover up or not report a crime, if you were asked to perjure yourself in a legal case or anything else you believe may be a crime, please step forward, speak up and help put this criminality to an end.

If you do not know where to go or who to talk to, write to us at knowledgereports@hushmail.com.  We will try to respond as quickly as possible. But please don’t send us anything if you are not willing to come forward, we need to devote our energies to those who are in a position to make statements publicly.

As the curtain is drawn back on the truth about scientology, the insidious layers of deception and control are being revealed. And this has concealed a lot of ugly and even criminal behavior that has been ignored or deliberately hidden.

It is time to draw back the curtains for real.

PS: Do not miss the special edition of #ScientologyTheAftermath at 10pm on MONDAY.

Leah and I respond to viewer questions and elicit the assistance of Paulette Cooper, Chris Shelton, Karen De La Carriere and Jeffrey Augustine.

The new Episode 4, featuring Jefferson Hawkins, Tom DeVocht and Ron Miscavige will air on Tuesday 10pm.

Comments

  2. Do these so called contracts say that the signer of said contract agree and commit to: “willing accepting physical or verbal abuse,& any and all emotional abuse, including choking, punching, beatings, being called names and made fun of, rape, or sexual assaults upon themselves, their spouse, children, parents, extended family members & agreeing to have your personal freedom taken away from you, including the choice to leave COS at will” as part of them signing the contracts.
    I hardly think so. COS is using intimidation tactics with threats of suing those who already have nothing to lose because COS has all their money…….and their extended family…..

    Reply

  4. I have always thought that Scientology was nothing but a wealthy cult. I am from Canada and I see Scientology churches all over Canada as well. It saddens me that this sick twisted “religion” is so powerful . Hats off to Leah and all of the people willing to do something about it.

    I do not understand how they continued to operate after that raid and conviction in 1977. We got rid of Hitler but we can’t get rid of this.

    Reply

  6. Please be advised that there are statues of limitations involved, depending on the state. This starts as soon as you, ( all encompassing you), discovers and or remembers the crime. Usually it’s 5 years, but again check your state. After this time period nothing can be done. So if you know of a violation, or were a victim, your on a clock.
    I just bring this up as I would hate for this church, and its CEO, not to be charged, and encarcerated.

    Reply

  7. This is terrific Mike! At last “Something Can Be Done About It” is becoming a solid reality. What you and Leah Remini and the contributors to Scientology: The Aftermath, is the best that has ever been done to show proof that David Miscavige and all those who work for him are nothing more than felons prying on good intentioned or vulnerable men, women and their children, turning them into compliant slaves of their system, robbing them blind of their hard earned money, denying them of their right to complain and destroying their lives and the lives of their families and friends if they go against their criminal, ruthless and inhumane busness system.

    I am an old timer, an ex Flag Management Evaluator from 1974-1981
    and I saw some shit happening then, but never in my wildest dreams imagined what has been happening since David Miscavige took over from the old man.

    Once again, Mike Rinder, Leah and other partcipants, my hat is off to you.

    AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHO FEEL YOU SHOULD SPEAK BUT DON’T BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES, DONT BE AFRAID OF THE CULT. BE AFRAID OF NOT SPEAKING OUT BECAUSE THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE GREATER IF YOU KEEP QUIET.
    IT IS ALL ABOUT TRUTH AND PERSONAL INTEGRITY.

    Alex Castillo

    Reply

  9. I agree, Graham. Most regions have Adult services for the elderly and disabled. They often include investigations based upon complaints filed.

    For those in the State of California, If anyone is concerned about the welfare of an elderly Sea Org Member (age 60+), or wants to better understand what constitutes Elder Abuse, the following links should provide helpful information on what to do, and where request assistance or file a complaint.

    If anyone suspects elder abuse or neglect in CA, they can bypass contacting the sheriff or police and call in a complaint to the appropriate county Adult Protective Services, who are required to investigate.

    Adult Protective Services Office Contact County agencies help adults and people with disabilities.
    By: CA Department of Social Service Adult Protective Services (APS) County Contact
    Information.

    This information is provided by the county, and placed here to help you find the appropriate county Adult Protective Services (APS) office.
    http://www.cdss.ca.gov/agedblinddisabled/PG2300.htm

    Educate self and others on what Elder Abuse is in detail, as well as the laws that protect the elderly from abuse.

    CA Bar Association Booklet on Elder Abuse
    http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Public/Pamphlets/ElderAbuse.aspx#4

    CA Elder Abuse Laws (Criminal)
    https://oag.ca.gov/bmfea/laws/crim_elder

    Readers may want to bookmark these for now if one is uncertain about a SO member’s welfare. You never know when the info could come in handy!

    Reply

    • Mary, Graham, and all: the elderly information is super helpful and important. As a start, someone should file an elderly abuse report on behalf of Heber Jentzsch, who has reportedly been in the hole for years. Isnt he in his 80s? And reports on others who probably number quite a few that are over 65 there.
      OMG the number of Sea Org members over 65 who are not getting proper medical care and consequently suffering…like the story of Mike Reppen’s mother who was treated as an out-ethics downstat after undergoing cancer treatment and not being able to function fully…horrific and unimaginable. Anyone who knows someone in the Sea Org who is subject to any degree of such elderly abuse should have mercy on those people and file a report on their behalf. Otherwise we who can do something about it are just turning a blind eye!

      Reply

      • I agree, Karen. However, it is important that the reports be knowledgeable and detailed, written with as many details as possible. If these agencies receive a number of vague reports on different seniors, they may wind up not taking them seriously. Having a family member or formerly close friend file the report will add legitimacy to the concerns. Reports should not be anonymous if possible, although I believe they do act on anonymous tips. Getting these agencies into restricted areas of Scientology is a difficult task, so its important that the reports filed are as accurate as possible. If one reads the definitions of elder abuse in the info I linked, there are bound reasons to request investigation for abuse.

        Its always nice to see you posting about, Karen. Thanks for continuing to speak up!

        Reply

  10. I took the liberty of tweaking the opening paragraph of the Church’s biography of Dave.

    David Miscavige is the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology real estate empire. From his self-appointed position as Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC), Mr. Miscavige bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the standard and pure application of L. Ron Hubbard’s technologies of Fair Game and Disconnection and for Keeping Scientologists Lurking.

    Reply

  11. Born in the east, Philadelphi-ay
    Lusted for the power he so deeply craved
    Trained by Hubbard so he knew them SPs
    Issued a declare when he was only three
    Davy, Dave Miscavige, king of the bubble frontier!

    Reply

  12. so exciting that this is going on in the world

    thank you to every one who knows how serious this is and who’s brave enough to speak up
    I am composing my knowledge report now to your hushmail…….

    pedophile minister church member, norman Stephenson (not sure of the spelling of his name…an Australian for sure and a sailer/fisherman in Miami…late 1960-70’s)…I was five years old!

    working (I was 16 or seventeen??) in the church at the Miami org I was in charge of getting the cash from my boss and gathering a team of people, mostly public and handing them wads of said cash to buy all the copies of battlefield earth they could find in every bookstore they could find them in, and bring all the books to me! …..one way to make a book a best seller!

    working, during that same time at the Miami org I was told that the money that they just took out of an account was to buy a plane ticket for a dude who just confessed in session that he had murdered SEVERAL women in some other state. why can’t we report it? I questioned…..violates the minister code and $cn could get in to trouble! can’t remember the name of the dude (I did buy a piece if shit car from him) or the state said crime took place in, but I am thinking someone like don pfendler (spelling?) would remember or the tall dude with the red? hair (worked with me in the fbo)…can’t remember his name either now!

    I will attest to any of this to any one anywhere in any legal way if it is ever needed by anyone EVER!
    also, will help anyone who was older than me to fill in any blank spots/names…..that was over thirty five years ago and I have left all of this crap behind me

    happy sunday everyone!

    Reply

    • Dear Senufa, thanks for sharing your story here. If you have not already, please consider posting it to the very important Ex-Scientology Kids website. http://exscientologykids.com/ You can post anonymously in by name. Many former Scientology kids have their stories up there. By posting yours there, you will help encourage other ‘kids’ to share their experiences.

      Best wishes to you

      Reply

  13. Mike, Thank you for this! Would you consider Medical abuse a crime? I would…as I nearly died twice being taken off of my much needed medication for Epilepsy, ordered
    by the Scientology MLO the 1st time, in 1972. I lost my short term memory due to these Grand Mal Seizures. Luckily, my Mom figured out “They are going to kill you, Tory” and insisted I get back on my medication. Not sure it that fits…but IF you ever do one on medical abuse, please know I have a serious story.

    I will write you about something else, too. Thank you, again.
    Tory/Magoo

    Reply

    • Hi Tory, a victim in France did die having seizures while at narCONon and the staffers did get convictions for “non-assistance to persons in danger,” so some jurisdictions definitely consider this a crime. That was a case of someone deciding to go off their anti-seizure meds on their own and checking into narCONon afterwards, narCONon simply failed to have a clue about bringing a doctor into the picture until after the victim was going into a coma. The staffers simply gave the victim “Cal-Mag” and went on with the “the way through is the way through” ignorance based medicine.

      The cases where the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology actively pressure victims into going off medication are even more clear-cut, IMHO.

      https://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2013/04/ignoring-epilepsy-i_3446.html

      Reply

      • A similar case is Jett Travolta whose died after grand mal seizures that occurred because the parents took him off his meds that controlled the seizures, and had him do the purif instead. Like this pseudo detox was going to purify the cause of the seizures right out of him. A tragic wrongful death.

        Reply

    • As anyone would or should know that is responsible in some way for the physical, mental or spiritual health of another individual, the way you treat someone that is prone to grand mal seizures is different than the way you treat someone that is not. This is an established scientific fact. The Church of Scientology and anyone else does not need to know that in order for it to be true and workable. Tory, I personally want you to know that you look like a million bucks. You are one of the few people I know of that captivates me. 🙂

      I was watching the BBC Panorama video “The Secrets of Scientology” with video of Mike Rinder in it. When Mike was a member of the church I always respected him no matter how high up he was or how badly I was being treated by other people in the church not so high up as he. Comparing him now physically that he is out of the church to the way he looked physically when he was in the church, Mike looks so much healthier, much happier and like he has even greater ARC for people and the environment than he did when he was in the church. That little fact alone – physical proof- should be enough to at least open at least one more person’s eyes to the true face of Scientology. 🙂

      Reply

  14. The crimes of this church stem from one person only – David Miscavige, he is the driving force creating this disaster and Disconnection is his only security blanket, once that is gone he is exposed to the entire world for the crimes he has committed.

    There are not a hundred liars out here like Miscavige keeps stating, there is only one main liar and that is Miscavige, falsely misleading those on the inside while creating the terror on the outside. He can never cancel Disconnection, it is his insurance policy, his only protection against exposing his crimes.

    Now it is time for those on the inside to stop being mislead, stop turning a blind eye and jump ship, expose more of Miscavige’s crimes to the authorities, don’t become a party to them.

    Hunt down Marion Pouw and Greg Wilhere, they are Lifetime Trustees of the top level of the church and if Miscavige hasn’t hidden them away like he did his wife Shelly then find them and tell them they are Lifetime Trustees appointed by LRH and they have power over Miscavige as they don’t know this – Miscavige has kept this secret from them for over 30 years.

    I encourage John Travolta and Tom Cruise to call me personally if they want to know the truth, they are kept in the dark and only fed what Miscavige wants them to know. Call me.

    The scales are tipping now and the people on the outside are becoming stronger and more powerful with their message and Miscavige’s ship is sinking quickly, get off while you still can.

    Terri Gamboa
    702-528-5473

    Reply

  16. If anyone was a nurse, in the medical field, teacher, cop, you are a reporter of this, crimes against children, you are required by law to report.
    In fact minors can not enter into legal contracts, coercion is a definite no no. And it seems like Sea Org people are minors when they signed this unenforceable contract.
    Can there be a class action lawsuit against this cult?
    The fact that they are still in existence is sad. They should have had their tax loophole revoked. This is no more a church than the many 7-11’s . Human rights violations are appalling, and this goes on everywhere on the globe that they are. Could a presentation to the United Nations help, NATO, or a tribunal in another country or countries. What more can those of us not engulfed by this cult do? I write everyone, are they illiterate? I am so upset that no one in government, nor the IRS, has done anything. I know things take time, but really snails move faster. I am impatient for you all, you need justice, closure, and from all this cult took from you all, they need to pay back with monies, apologies, and for certain prison time. So many crimes, illegalities, and yet nothing.
    It would do my heart good, and I imagine all of you as well to see your devious leader locked up for life.
    I hope that something starts to happen soon. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, folks, it’s a duck. Why are so many not hearing, not listening?

    Reply

  17. Hopefully nobody else has made this comment don’t have to read all your wonderful comments today. But I Strongly Considering Printing this out as Sign and going around to the Local Orgs.

    If you have been the victim of a crime or a witness to it, and you believed you could not report it because you were told you had signed a legal document that prevented you from doing so, it is another scientology LIE.

    REPORT WHAT YOU KNOW TO THE APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

    Reply

  18. ps Mike – if you and Leah ever decide to do stories outside of the US, come talk to us please. There’s plenty of details of our story that hasn’t been made public YET – suck on that, OSA.

    Reply

  19. I signed quite a few of these confidentiality contracts in my almost-30-years “in” and I witnessed a hell of a lot of crimes. I heard or read about 9 cover-ups of paedophilia, my wife and I were coerced into giving false testimony about the deaths of our daughters, I witnessed other unsavoury and illegal stuff (such as coerced abortions) and detailed quite a bit of this in a letter that Sen. Xenophon presented to the Australian Senate on my behalf back in 2009.

    I also spent a day outlining the above to two police who specifically came to our house to question me about these. My wife and I had decided that we would talk to the police despite the real risk that I especially could be charged in relation to what we had done. I provided the police with written records of such things as phone calls made (I kept extensive diaries) and also of the cult tactics of intimidation that they had used on me. At the end of that day, I asked them if I were to be charged with any of the crimes I’d just confessed to and they equivocated but basically said that since I’d obviously told them the truth now and had obviously been under pressure to keep quiet as a member of the cult that no charges would be pressed. Of course the PR for OSA ANZO had a public dummy-spit about this – lol.

    I have been subjected to Fair Game by this malignant cult, but not to the extent of many others. Simply because here in Oz the police and the media are happy to jump on that sort of behaviour and the $cientology brand has been smashed so badly here that I think only child molesters and murderous terrorists rank lower than Co$ officials in the public’s mind. And I continue to fight this toxic cult wherever I can, simply because I feel it’s my public duty to protect my fellow citizens against a group that I once empowered.

    And a group that repeatedly threw my family and I under the bus to protect its own reputation, especially when the deaths of my daughters occurred.

    $cientology has never attempted to sue me for the many things I have said in various media over the years. It has only tried to smear me in an underhanded fashion typical of criminal cowards the world over. And since I spoke to the police I personally have been able to put a lot of this behind me and move forward with living a real life.

    If anyone reading this has doubts about speaking out, don’t. It is the most empowering thing you can do for yourself EVER. I’ve dragged people along to a protest or gotten them to go public with their stories and they’ve always felt so much better afterwards. And from there on out. My only caution on doing this would be if you have a chance to get others out before you yourself go public.

    But don’t deny yourself the freedom that speaking the truth brings. There’s no better way to disinfect yourself from the stench of the cult.

    Reply

    • Paul, I’m so sorry to hear about the death of your two daughters, that is just so horrific! Wow……..that story needs to come out and maybe it already has but I haven’t come across it yet. Blown away………..

      Reply

      • Thank you, Lois, for your kind words. Bits of it have come out over the past 8 years and I wrote a fair amount of it up in “scooterstory” on ESMB. But there’s a lot that has never really been covered, in particular how the cult hung us out to dry to cover their own arses. I’d like to have the time to just sit down and detail it all but a mortgage and two teenagers means time is something of a rare commodity.

        Reply

  20. Mike,
    Have you, Karen de la Carriere and other foreign sea org members ever reported to the US Immigration authorities all the fraud and misrepresentation you committed in visa and permanent residency applications and interviews?

    Reply

  21. Very Highly Commended to Leah Remini and Mike Rinder for their incredible selfless hard work in exposing the crimes of David Miscavige.
    Terri Gamboa

    Reply

    • It’s been said that “Timing is everything…” I agree. There is a marketing strategy called piggybacking. When you piggyback, you take advantage of some product or marketing that is successful and you strike while it is still high in interest in the public’s eye. So interest in Scn and Disconnection is at an all time high from the expose on A&E. It was 2.7 million who had seen it and that number is higher even now. So let’s piggyback on that and get up some more of Phil and Willie’s billboards saying “CALL ME” or “Don’t Disconnect From Me” or something to continue to bring the issue of disconnection up over and over again so that people really get it and something may be done about it. I would contribute to a funding thing to get them money. We all should contribute to it. Heck with the money we are saving from paying for IAS and Sec Checks in the church, we could each afford to cough up something to get those billboards up again. What do you say? Willie? Phil? Mike? Can we do it again if we had money to pay for it? I will put my money where my mouth is if so.

      Reply

      • Love the billboard idea, but this could be a whole. Ew round of billboards: if you have witnessed an illegal act within a Scientology organization, call xxxxx or report it at …..” I would put money behind this!

        Reply

    • Yayy Terri, nice to see you here, loved your other post too. Right on!! Get out now with the evidence………

      Reply

  22. It won’t be long before the smarter people on the inside reading these blogs realize they better jump ship before they go down with it and become part of the criminals that end up in jail for participating in the church crimes and Miscavige’s evil doings. Jump ship now guys, before the whole thing goes down……. become part of the solution not part of the crimes. Now is your chance. All who are reading this, move over to the right side, you know Miscavige is committing gross crimes, don’t continue to be part of it, leave and report it.
    Terri Gamboa

    Reply

    • Terry Gamboa?! Oh my. Oh my! And if any of those movers need a lawyer to consult with and/or to negotiate any kind of immunity deal, there’s a few around here that might have the name of a lawyer or two. I agree and highlight your wise tip about “before the whole thing goes down”.

      For anyone inside wondering if it’s time, if you show up for muster and no one is screaming anymore, that might be a sign. If you Don’t show up for muster, and no one shows up screaming for you, Run! You are already late. (Don’t forget to grab the evidence)

      Reply

    • Tez, you said it perfectly. I was thinking of saying a similar thing. We all know OSA read this blog and at some point they have to understand that there can’t be 1000 or so people commenting here and on Ortega’s and all be disgruntled, apostates speaking out for money. No, these crimes being discussed are real.

      They should grab evidence and speak with the FBI, gain immunity and get their backsides out of the church. Look after yourself for once because if the ship goes down, you know the leaders will blame others or will take off to another country with $10 million or so, never to be heard of again.

      Reply

    • So good to see you here Terry. I imagine you were 12 or 13 when you went onboard to become a messenger. I’ve read many things about your family, your mother was very much loved and in the old days there was quite a sense of play and adventure. I wonder how long Miscavige will last before committing suicide… the clampire is crumbling and many people are doing a great job in exposing the stench behind the religious facade. We are far away from the days of the legal suit against Time magazine. Mike Rinder has indeed done a very thorough job of disinfection and he has been very brave since no one could know better the intelligence tactics that the “church” would use to “destroy him utterly”. Nowadays these fair game schemes just keep backfiring and the cult just dead-agents itself. Didn’t Hubbard say something about the truth being something you can’t stop even with 12” armour-plate ?

      Reply

  23. Mike…this is a very Powerful post. You have given POWER to the once powerless. I would just like to comment that I believe the momentum is changing. It has Changed. It is picking up speed and it won’t be stopped now.
    From what I hear…. you can’t run very fast in John Lobbs.
    Tick Tock.

    Reply

    • This is Leah at her brilliant best. She is superb at answering questions. One of the more thoughtful interviews you will see on the subject of scientology.

      Reply

      • So much easier when you can just calmly listen to the question and give a thoughtful and honest answer rather than have to mentally twist yourself into a pretzel in order to tell an “acceptable” truth or an outright lie.

        Reply

  25. I am a California lawyer. I am no expert in criminal law as my practice has been civil litigation. However, within that realm, relevant statutes of limitations can be tolled where fraud prevented a person from timely suing to enforce a contract or sue for a tort. There are limitations, of course, but this is one manner in which statutes are tolled. Just thought I’d add that, for what it’s worth. Also, a case against the FLDS for Food Stamp fraud is wreaking havoc in that community; the government sued. They can also sue for improperly withholding payroll taxes and social security on a mass scale.

    Reply

    • Hi Sherrie, thanks for writing. There is also a wonderful decision in the Laura Dieckman case by the California Court of Appeals, affirmed by the Supreme Court that addresses the issue of equitable tolling. I am sure you understand this, but for the layman this means that you cannot convince someone they have no recourse against you, and then when they realize they were lied to/brainwashed, to turn around and say “too bad, the statute has run”. It’s the child who kills his parents complaining about being an orphan theory. Laura’s case set very interesting precedent for SCIENTOLOGY matters.

      Reply

      • What is going on with Laura’s case? It’s been postponed, prolonged, etc for so long it kind of slipped my mind
        Wasn’t it set for trial for December at one point?
        With all the stuff going on, they would be
        complete imbeciles to take that to trial

        So, I guess we can expect an upcoming trial date…..

        Reply

        • And by ‘they’ I mean the Co$ of course….
          Time to settle boys! Take some of the gold bouillon out of the cave and get ready to sign it over!

          Reply

  26. Did the Church of Scientology ever commit in court to whether the Sea Org is actually a formal organization or not?

    If the Sea Org does not have a corporate existence then presumably any paperwork signed between parishioner and the “Sea Org” is legally invalid forcing Scientology to come up the the bogus argument that when you signed you should have known “SEA ORG” means this other scientology corporate entity out of the hundreds that exist.

    Hypothetical

    So suppose I sign a confidentiality agreement/contract with “The Bunker cool kids club” and then Tony O, appears and says The bunker cool kids club is my alter ego and I reply that did you even file a doing business as notice through your state or local town hall that you are Tony O dba The bunker cool kids club. If not, I don’t think you would have legal standing to enforce it.

    Another legal question that I have not researched but would apply to Sea Org contracts. Assuming the membership agreement you sign contains an unenforceable provision (the billion years) and the Sea Org was actually a corporation or a DBA, wouldn’t the membership agreement be invalid without a severability clause stating that just because one section was found invalid it did not negate the other elements of the contract “you belong to us for an unspecified time period”.

    Just a thought.

    Reply

    • THere are no contracts signed with the “Sea Org” — they are all signed with individual corporations. Even the Sea Org “contract” (obviously a committment to a billion years is not enforceable) is then followed up with a staff employment contract with the corporation in which the SO Member will be working.

      Reply

  27. I don’t have much to add other than this post has me doing a happy dance. 🙂 I am so glad that so many exes are now coming forward to speak out. We have been (and continue to be) waiting for you. I applaud your courage.

    Time to stop allowing Miscavige & Co. to have so much power over people’s lives. His power is diminishing rapidly because once you stop fearing him and his henchmen, that power begins to evaporate. Take that step folks, there is much support out here for you. ❤️

    Thank you for this post Mike.

    Reply

    • Seconded!

      I’m all in favour of people doing what is right for them; but, to those who stay silent for whatever reasons, please pay attention to those who say that it is good to speak up – for the person speaking up!

      Reply

  28. Looks like Miscavige’s ethics file is getting very very thick.

    All of his many crimes posted on the internet for posterity. All of the crimes committed by his loyal servants posted on the internet for eternity.

    Dave is so guilty of personally creating his own PR nightmare.

    The bad PR is not because Mike and Marty and Debbie and Amy et al have disclosed facts such as David Miscavige beat and tortured his staff. The bad PR is because David committed these atrocities and his loyal minions failed to comm ev and remove the little prick.

    Thanks so much to everyone who has the courage to expose this travesty.

    Reply

    • Now would be a good time for Tom Cruise or John Travolta to consult their conscience rather than their lawyers. Doing the right thing is the best PR possible. Be on the winning side of life guys, you’ve backed the wrong horse that’s all. Help bring about a better world – OK?

      Reply

    • Dave is doing his project prepare as a sort of runway for the A-E steps. Apparently, when he was pretty much read his Miranda rights regarding suppressive acts he’d committed, he had a temper tantrum and shat himself.
      BADLY. He went through a whole box of Depends for Men in an hour which I believe might be a world record. It was decided to apply a gradient scale. Wouldn’t want to go out tech now would we?

      Reply

  29. Way to go!
    And who said the sun never sets on Scientology? Trying to extract the criminality from Scientology management and leave something ethical in it’s place is impossible. The whole organisation needs to be brought to justice. The conspiracy to commit fraud runs through each and every Scientologist in good standing. Ignorance of the law is no excuse before the courts Let’s be done with that cult.
    I do have faith in human ingenuity though, anything good will always find a way. It’s just that Scientology became exactly what it said it opposed.
    Well done Mike, your work load must be massive.

    Reply

  30. Dave,

    This is what a sea change looks like. You are now the frog in hot water with the temperature rising. And once you have been examined on the stand in court, no one will be interested in listening to you.

    Reply

  31. And so it begins…..there are so many ‘crimes’ in $cientologies present and past that one small pebble thrown down hill will become a boulder that knocks Miscavage off his 10 inch apple box.

    Reply

  32. In some cases, not reporting a crime may itself be a crime. A contract that prevents someone from reporting a crime could, in fact, be illegal. You are required to report a crime under certain situations and in certain states, such as California. Since CoS considers its members to be clergy (auditors), these laws can affect many situations. Those in CoS who act as teachers are especially responsible for reporting any crimes they witness against children (forcing them to act as physical labor even if it occurred in the past for example)>
    https://www.wklaw.com/knowing-about-a-crime-and-not-saying-anything/

    Reply

  33. For anyone considering coming forward:

    1) Document everything you can.
    2) Emails can be useful. If you have any in your deleted items folder, move them out. Make a folder called Scientology and store every email there, even the ones that seem harmless.
    3) Even invoices can be useful, save them all, preferably in a safe place. Your house is NOT safe. You may have given a key to someone when you went on vacation and they copied it for OSA, and of course there’s Scientology’s second biggest expense, lawyers and private investigators.
    4) Send an email to knowledgereports@hushmail.com with details of what you know. Also mention that you have documentation from the church, indicating if it has a direct connection to what you are reporting.
    5) Call the police. The police are ignoring the issue because they aren’t getting complaints. If they get a pile of complaints, they won’t be able to ignore the situation. This applies even if the Statute of Limitations has run out. Prosecutors can use the information to build up an understanding of COS.
    6) Call your Member of Parliament, Representative, Senator, or whatever is the appropriate term in your country. Explain the issues.

    Through it all, remain polite, but firm. You want action. Even if you are in a place like Los Angeles or Clearwater where safepointing has been going on, a large number of complaints will cause the police/politicians problems. Just think of how bad they will look if it gets out that they have had a hundred complaints made, and they did nothing.

    Reply

    • Also not a bad idea to PRINT out anything in email folders/other things stored on a PC so that there is a hard copy of it. Just in case someone “magically” gets ahold of a password & starts deleting.

      Reply

      • It’s also a good idea to copy important documents to a flash drive, which is small enough to lock up in a drawer to keep safe, and also has the benefit of being portable, and maybe stick another copy in the cloud (Dropbox, Google drive, pCloud, etc.) which has the benefit of being accessible from almost any device, anywhere. A flash drive can cost as little as $8 and the 3 cloud storage services I mentioned above are free.

        Reply

        • Oh yes, a flash drive is an excellent idea! I think I’d have several copies in different places if it were I collecting this stuff. Never can have too many copies! 😀

          Reply

  34. Hey Bruce, I was and still am a US citizen. It’s true that our “income” was so shamefully low that it wouldn’t have contributed to benefits. So for that reason, I’m wondering if they were illegal taking out deductions while our weekly allotments were so low. And that weekly money was called allowance not pay, so how could they have legally taken “payroll deductions” out of an allowance??

    Separate but related subject: when I tried to get out of the Sea Org at the Int base around 1993, I asked the Treas sec Sheri Al-Jibouri to calculate my “freeloader” debt. She gave me a figure of approximately $250,000.00. I wonder how many of these bogus freeloader debts they have enforced collection on in a manner of pressure or extortion to force people to pay up under the fear that they would be declared or disconnected from family members if they didn’t do it. That has got to be illegal. As a side note, I once calculated that if I had been paid for my professional design services that I rendered to the Scientology organization over my 9 years as a designer in the Sea Org, I Could have professionally made about $100,000 per year times 9. So my bill to them that they should have owed me could have been almost four times what they say I owed them. Again, the fear they invoke by bullying and oppressing and enforcing their fraudulent and illegal rules cost me and many others so much money, it’s mind boggling.

    Reply

    • Karen
      You bring up a great point about collected freeloader debt. I’m sure enough people have paid freeloader bills – enough for a class action to be formed

      The wrench in this situation is the ‘donation’ angle. I’m wondering if somewhere in that freeloader bill is language that says all of the ‘debt’ is a donation freely given to a church.

      If there are any enterprising class action attorneys out there, it might be worth looking into

      Again, the problem commenting on these issues is not having the documents to review.

      An attorney would need to see any and all documents signed while you were a member.
      You can bet the Co$ will come up with a signed document saying anything you gave the church (including auditing costs and freeloader debt ) are ‘donations’ freely given in order to enable the church to continue its good works.

      But if it can be proven that freeloader debt was paid under duress (disconnection) that might be enough.
      There may be a smoking gun somewhere….some correspondence acknowledging if the debt is not paid, then the person will be subject to disconnection

      Reply

    • Hi Karen

      I just checked one of my pay slips from 2004 and it says “Federal Insurance Contribution Act” for one deduction and “Medicare” for the other. So they should have been the same on yours. But that was years earlier.

      I also remember some kind of deduction for Workman’s Compensation. They got quite a few Sea Org members through various medical situations with that.

      What I don’t see is Federal or State Withholding for income tax, and that is probably just because it is so low that they don’t expect you will be paying any tax. I did not turn in a tax form from 1980 to 2005 because I did not make enough to be required to file.

      In fact I suspect that they should by law have to report the values of their food, housing and courses that they take. If they did that they might have to pay taxes. That would end the Sea Org right away, there is no way they are going to be paid enough to pay any taxes on $250,000 worth of services received for free.

      The Freeloader debt is a really sick joke. We should just bill them back for the cost of the medical bills that would have been unnecessary if we had proper care, the lost income and emotional damage.

      But I remember Sheri used to report almost as much income some weeks from Freeloader payments as from cassette sales. Really just extortion, plain and simple.

      Reply

  35. As the earth spins and the years go by Scientology will still be here even if by word of mouth. There is good
    in Scientology that the SP’s in Scientology have almost submerged.
    I know I came to earth to help create honesty. That seems to be the most beautiful gem of all, honesty.
    Can it come to pass? I agree the COS and the way if operates should be done away with!
    I freely can apply what I want of Scientology because of the inter-net. I do not have to defend myself to read
    a book, or to Solo audit. I thank you all for making this possible.

    Reply

  36. Additionally, isn’t it the law that you must report a crime that you aware of, otherwise you become implicit for withholding information regarding illegal activity? I thought it was much like the Good Samaritan Law where we are obligated to be more than just bystanders if there is something we can do about it.

    Reply

  37. “If you have witnessed physical assault, sexual assault, child abuse” and to that could be added ‘elder abuse’, based on recent posts over at The Bunker.

    Hubbard’s scam must have been in its prime when the Baby Boomer generation were coming of age and seeking Answers. It looks like many of them have stayed embedded in the cult for decades and are now ‘coming of age’ in a different sense. This is likely to be an increasing issue for the Scientology Organisation[ no, it’s not a “church”, not by any definition] over the coming few years.

    Reply

  38. 2015 was such a banner year of disasters for David Miscavige and his church that he was forced to deliver a preposterously false ‘good news’ speech at year’s end. It wasn’t just a report about how good the prior year had been (which would have been a big lie in itself) but it was a delirious fiction about the greatest year that ever was! Clearly he was over-compensating for the trainwreck that was 2015.

    2016 is ending with another disaster in the form of a highly popular TV series featuring all sorts of people from the past with fascinating stories to tell. All of them powerful indictments against Mr. Miscavige and his church. This particular disaster being one that appears weekly is a format that can gradually educate the viewer into the intricacies of church machinations. Then the viewer can see why the church and Mr. Miscavige behave as they do. This brand of understanding among other things renders the viewer immune to the church’s disclaimers. Conspicuously displayed, those disclaimers create an effect which works to the show’s benefit! It is a towering misfortune for the church that everybody testifying against it in the series comes across as absolutely unimpeachable!

    Therefore it is natural to expect this year’s annual scientology victory speech to be at least as outlandishly self-congratulatory as last year’s. No doubt it will be filled with mighty superlatives and earth shaking pronouncements about imminent, on-the-verge-of-happening breakthroughs and maybe, if we’re lucky, a 2017 metaphor to rival “The Front Porch of Infinity”. My native state PSI abilities tell me Dan Sherman won’t disappoint this year.

    Reply

    • I wonder if DM will even mention any of the facts of the annus horribilis that was 2016.
      I can see a speech with Shermanspeak on how the Co$ ‘annihilated its enemies who tried to get the entire world of psych drugs’. Because, really, isn’t that how every DM/Mulletman speech goes?

      Nothing is ever their fault…it’s always the psychs and their psych drugs.

      Or perhaps there will be a dig at those who have left and are speaking out……

      I haven’t seen any NYE fliers yet….have they even announced the NYE party date/place yet?

      Reply

  39. Another extremely important post Mike.I did not have the “pleasure” of signing any agreement except the SO contract,but I knew such agreements existed.However I apparently was so Degraded there was no more point messing with me & agreements since all I said and did were lies.How the cult traps,they just can’t keep their hands clean.Waiting for Monday & Tuesday Incredible what a little TV series can accomplish.?⭐️

    Reply

    • Hi Ann B. 🙂 I hope you are well and enjoying your holiday season. I’m with you – looking forward to the special A&E episode on Monday, and the next regular show on Tuesday, they have been terrific so far.

      Reply

  41. Great! I am going to write some!
    I am also flying to Israel mid January to give a deposition for the lawsuit of the Lembergers against the Cherch.
    Interesting times are coming! Do they realy want me to depose? I was a class 9 celeb auditor. Not that I am going to speak about my PC’s case! I will never do. I still have some other interesting facts!

    Reply

  42. Crim-Reg-Ologists

    Those modern era Scientology FSMs and Regs and pressure “Hard Sells” illegal oversteping “crim-reg-ologists” need to contact local prosecutors and state and federal prosecutors and rat out Scientology’s “crim-reg-ology”

    Reply

  43. I’ve often wondered if they illegally failed to report payroll deductions. It would seem to me that this could be a very fertile avenue to get at and expose the church. First amendment is NOT going to protect the church when it comes to tax evasion. Hasn’t that tactic (out-point) been the chink in the armor to take down other religious figures and organized crime individuals? Tax evasion. I see there is more than one report of this omission – PLEASE REPORT it to social security and/or IRS.

    Reply

    • The IRS took down Al Capone, they can sure as hell take down this little rat. Here’s to hoping they do, with the rest of the Feds behind them with other charges.

      Reply

  44. SO glad you are covering this subject, especially now. I would only add that all the false statements you lay out regarding what any Ethics Officer/MAA or any other official connected with Scientology made should be Included in their reports. Also include any details about any threats of punishment or harmful consequences if you reported.

    In some cases those statements in and of themselves might be argued to be crimes under the blanket category of Obstruction of Justice. And for that reason, and that category, I would add don’t worry about how long ago it was, although stamping reports with date and time are essential.

    You’re gonna need a bigger boat. And a second Series 🙂

    Reply

    • This is especially pertinent to crimes perpetrated by $cn staff members against minors which were not reported to the police, but instead “handled” by the internal ethics system. For example, the statutory rape at the hands of her $cn boss that Amy Scobee described in an episode of Leah’s series was not only not reported to police, but her father was not notified either. This internal cover up strategy of sexual abuse of minors within the cherch amounts to obstruction of justice, and just as RC Church pedophile priest scandal spread to include higher church officials in a conspiracy to obstruct justice, a similar criminal conspiracy may very well have been operating in Amy’s case, as well as others.

      Reply

      • True enough. There are enough former members that would have reports covering thirty to forty decades easily to establish an all important pattern of intentional, long term obstruction of justice/ We all know this is so and in fact policy. Having enough details reports from a wide variety of members, situations, backgrounds covering each decade I would think would be helpful to anyone in the legal arena interested in further hopefully widespread investigations, from child abuse to financial fraud.

        Reply

        • Indeed!

          Unlike some organisations which have a hard time keeping the abusers out 100% (and even a few ones which – to their shame – cover up for the abusers) the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology is predicated on abuse and on making abusers out of its victims.

          “KSW” and “the Bolivar memo” are manuals for making abusers and benefiting from their abuse.

          Lots of little pieces of testimony should make it easy to establish a pattern of criminality. What is needed is a prosecutor which is willing and able.

          Reply

  45. How many ways can I say “big applause ‘for you all. Shining the spotlight on the lies. Mike and Leah in this expose have gone from taking a hammer to the Scio walls, to now bringing up the wrecking balls and battering rams. The wall will fall !!!

    Reply

  46. Thank you for shining a light on the matter of Co$ contracts and agreements. Scientologists are/were also discouraged from taking each other to court over legal disputes; disputes were to be handled within the auspices of the church. Many Scientologist-owned and staffed businesses use this to their advantage against employee grievances and consider owner/employee “agreement” on hours and wages senior to labor law. Scientology uses the law selectively, where it benefits the Church, and discards the rest!

    Reply

  47. Illegal acts I’ve witnessed committed by Scientology leaders or that I’ve been subject to, omg the list…scratch the surface:
    attacking a human being = assault and battery = at least a misdemeanor: countless acts by Dave
    Kidnapping = holding a person against their will under restraint, removing one’s autonomy…how do we count all the numbers of people this has happened to?
    Confiscating one’s passport…
    Enforcing or coercing abortions…
    Confiscating keys to one’s car against their will…
    Torturing human beings…and in.
    IS there a statute of limitation that would prevent us from reporting? And wouldn’t we have to have the specific date and time of the act to report it?

    Reply

    • The only crime that doesn’t have a SOL is murder (there may be some other federal ones like treason, espionage, infiltrating government offices (gee, what religion would do something like that?) and crazy stuff, but in general, the types of crimes the in which Co$ engages will have a SOL.

      But that doesn’t necessarily mean that if a SOL has run, you can’t make a report

      It can be kind of convoluted…..for example, cases of abuse when the abused was a minor but didn’t report the abuse until much later (many times the abused don’t even remember the abuse until much later because of trauma). In those instances sometimes statutes allow the SOL period to BEGIN when the abused first recollects the abuse.
      SOL vary state by state. I wouldn’t worry so much about that. Report it anyway. Maybe it’s too late for the authorities to do anything, but at least it’s on record. And the next time it happens (to someone else) the authorities will be aware of it and perhaps act quicker.

      Patterns are very important for law enforcement….is there a pattern of abuse? Is there a pattern of financial fraud?

      If there are patterns to criminal behavior, it can up the ante…..then you may be able to start a RICO case or something along those lines.

      I would love to see an investigation into the financial fraud….how the Co$ steals money from its parishioners and forces them to open credit cards and lines of credit they can’t repay.

      So to my point (finally!). Report any crimes. Regardless of when they occcured

      Reply

  48. This is a great show. Even though I’ve never been in, I periodically post about Scientology. Since the series started I’ve had many private messages from relatives and friends asking questions. A few told me they had considered it at one time. I think one of the most important things this series can do is to prevent growth. That’s one of my goals anyway

    Reply

  49. One illegal act the Scientology organizations committed that affected not just me but all sea org members at the Int base and possibly other levels: treasury took social security or other deductions from our pay/allowance. This was stated on check stubs that we received for awhile. Outside the sea org, I get annual social security statements that show how much I contributed into social security over all my years. During the years I was in the sea org from 1987-1998, my report shows ZERO.
    This means that Scientology withheld money from sea org members and didn’t report it to social security and probably never paid it to social security either. That is illegal on several levels. A matter of a class action suit?

    Reply

    • Karen,

      I wondered the same thing.

      There are the 0 years on my Social Security report I get each year today, also.

      I hope some lawyers help Mike out with the questionable leads that come to

      knowledgereports@hushmail.com

      Thankyou again Karen for all you’ve done since seeing your name on the internet when I started looking back in 2004-5 was so good.

      All you ex Int Base staff who spoke up, thankyou all!

      Reply

    • That’s strange, Karen. My SSA Earnings Record shows zero reported from 1986 to 1993, the year of the big IRS “victory”. Before 1986 they reported my “earnings”, not sure why that stopped. I was at the Int Base from ’83 to 2004. If they did not report your earnings after ’93 they are in violation of the deals they made with the IRS to get the tax exemptions. Maybe you did not have a Green Card and they were afraid to report because it would get back to Immigration?

      Of course the horrible truth is that even when they reported our earnings they were too low to qualify for any benefits. That is why it is so important for older members to get out and get some kind of a job, even if it is flipping burgers. You need at least three years with a job to get any social security or medicare at all. Medicare gets really important as you get older.

      These lifers that are getting into their 50s really need to wake up and smell the roses. Time is running out.

      Reply

    • I wonder how the statute of limitations would apply regarding the Social Security fraud that Karen and Chuck pointed out. Yes, the crime was committed many years ago but since they will or are suffering the consequences of this fraud now by not having that money available in their retirement, wouldn’t there be cause for the IRS or some other government agency to investigate?

      Reply

    • If you have pay stubs from the past and it clearly shows Social Security deductions taken out, yet your report shows none, you need to report it to Social Security. It is not legal for your employer to deduct amounts from your paycheck yet not send them to the designated recipient. Anyone can schedule an appointment with your local Social Security office to talk to someone about your earnings record. You should bring evidence (your old pay stubs) to prove your claim.

      Reply

    • Karen, this matter is potentially a really big deal! If it was not the result of some sort of clerical error, then it appears to document widespread felony fraud against against the Social Security Administration, which is a federal government agency. If your pay stubs show itemized deductions for SSI, yet the record of your year-by-year contribution to the fund show that those deductions were not credited to you, it can only mean that either the deducted sums DID get transferred to the SS administration and some sort of clerical error occurred which prevented you from being credited with those payments in the report tht you received, or your employer, the Co$, pocketed the deducted funds and defrauded the federal government. Knowing $cn, my bet is on the latter!

      If that happened to you and Chuck Beatty, then it is very likely to have been the cherch’s SOP and affected many other Sea Orgy staff members as well. The fraud is two-fold: First and most obvious, you and those similarly affected did not have the funds deducted from your payroll checks credited to your total SSI wages for the purpose of calculating your monthly SSI retirement benefit amount and thus will receive less of a monthly SSI benefit than you’re entitled to. Second, the SS Administration was deprived of funds that it uses to pay out benefits to current retirees, thus diminishing the funds available to pay them and future retirees, such as yourself, as well.

      Your question concerning the possibility of a class action civil suit against the cherch is an excellent one, and hopefully someone with the requisite legal background will chime in. I suggest posting your story in The Bunker, both as a FYI to others that may have been similarly affected and to get feedback on the question of whether or not this situation may qualify as a class action suit, as there are a number of folks with a legal background there, including Tony’s own legal counsel, if I remember correctly.

      Quite beyond the possibility of bringing civil litigation against the cherch, there’s the much more serious criminal fraud aspect here as well. If the Co$ treasury admin personnel withheld SSI deductions, but knowingly diverted those funds to other uses within the organization, then all who were aware of this fraud at that level and above within the organization are potentially culpable in federal felony fraud. And since lil davey the despot is in absolute control of every aspect of the cherch’s operation, and especially concerned with its finances, it’s a very good possibility that he was fully aware of, and complicit in, the commission of felony fraud.

      I suggest that you and everyone else who were similarly affected (i.e.,had SSI funds deducted from payroll checks while employed by the Sea Orgy, but show zero dollars contributed to the fund for the years that they were employed by the cherch) contact the SS Administration to ensure that there was no clerical error on their part and that they received none of monies deducted from your payroll checks that should have been transferred to the SS Administration by law. If no clerical error occurred, then seeking further legal advice on the matter would be an excellent next step.

      This is potentially a very big deal and, if widespread, systemic SSI fraud did occur, the cherch could very well be both civilly and criminally in jeopardy here!

      Reply

    • You should show this to social security and ask them why you don’t have anything on your report from them. This might start an investigation into it.

      Reply

      • The next social security statement I receive, I plan to take it to an administrative office and ask why all those years of contribution are blank. Bruce Ploetz, Chuck Beatty and anyone else who realizes that the deductions scientology took out of your (measly) pay/allowance was never credited to social security or any other gov system where those deductions were supposed to be paid. If everyone filed a complaint or inquiry around the country to Social Security, we might be able to get an investigation going. Don’t be in apathy about it. This may be able to make a difference in the gov taking action against this criminal organization.

        Reply

        • *notice: the following is a long, boring post discussing more about social security payroll deductions; please skip this if you have no interest in reading this topic.

          Ok, I want to say don’t jump to conclusions right away, as social security withholding rules and amounts have changed many times over the years and some classes of employees were exempt from paying into the system at various times for some years. At one point some classes of employees paid just the “medicare” portion of the combined FICA taxes. That may be the reason some have mentioned that their pay deductions changed in 1986 or 1993 or whenever.

          Here is a link that contains timelines that may help to explain some of the significant changes over the years, and why your deduction amounts may have changed at various times.

          https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v69n3/v69n3p29.html

          Your employer is responsible for matching your FICA deductions, (you will see your deduction detailed on your pay stub, but will not see the employer portion as a deduction on your pay stub, as it is done internally). The percentage you pay for Social Security is currently 6.2%, your employer also pays 6.2%, matching your contribution, and I believe the medicare portion is 1.45% each, this percentage is paid by you and matched by another 1.45% from your employer (again, the matching portion is paid straight from your employer, you wouldn’t see this as a deduction to your pay) for Social Security up to the maximum earnings amount, I’m pretty sure it’s $118,500 this year; if you paid on earnings above this, you should file for a refund of excess taxes paid. From memory, there is no earnings cap for the medicare portion, let me check my memory… ok here is a link that verifies that statement:

          https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10003.pdf

          Keep in mind that this rate has changed over the years, so today’s percentage is not the same as it was 30 years ago. Here’s a chart of past rates by year:

          https://www.ssa.gov/oact/progdata/taxRates.html

          If you kept your actual pay stubs as proof of what you paid, you will have a much easier time proving that something fraudulent was done, but it’s better to ascertain what exactly occurred with your pay and taxes before assuming that your pay was mis-reported. Gather up your old pay stubs and W2’s from past years and take a good look then run it by your tax professional.

          There isn’t a “statute of limitations” per se on social security reporting matters, as there is in filing a legal action against someone, although the basic rule is earnings discrepancies should be addressed within 3 years (and you should always check your W-2 to make sure your employer deducted your taxes correctly and submit corrections within 3 years or they may not be able to help you) here is a link that may help clarify this: https://www.thebalance.com/time-limit-for-reporting-social-security-earnings-3192946 but the social security administration does want your earnings to be reported and contributions credited properly, in particular if there was something improper done by the employer, and I am aware of cases where they have gone back many years to correct someone’s earnings record.

          If you have proof that they took out monies but didn’t report it, I’m thinking you have a strong case for redress, but I am not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice, nor am I a tax professional nor an employee of the Social Security administration, and it’s been many years since I worked in payroll, although I do work in an auditing position in the accounting/financial field.

          So, this is a *general disclaimer*: the opinions expressed here are my own, I am not representing myself as having any particular knowledge or expertise in taxes or legal matters, and you should not rely on anything I have said here as accurate or construed as legal advice, it is merely a personal opinion.

          I hope this post has been helpful in some way, and I’ve tried to provide relevant links to trustworthy websites to verify the information I’ve given here. You should always check the validity of what you’ve been told, even by someone whose opinion you trust, and the best place to go is to the source of the information, the authority on the subject, in this case, I’ve listed links to the Social Security administration website.

          tl;dr: carefully check your old pay stubs and reporting rules in effect at the time to ascertain if there were errors in your deductions/wage earnings reporting.

          Reply

          • I believe that one can order transcripts or copies of prior W2s from the IRS. I don’t know how far back they will do this, but I do know that this service is available as mortgage companies have to obtain these to verify validity of submitted W2 documentation.

            Reply

          • T.J., Thank you for your detailed and helpful input about deductions and a potentially huge issue here for all ex Sea Org and Scientology staffers. Your post made me think about another related issue: I don’t recall ever receiving a W2 or W9 from the Church of Scientology International. This may be because my earnings were so low that CSI wasn’t required to produce the forms. But if my income was so low, how could they be able to take deductions? Since CSI and the Int base did take deductions at times between 1990 – 1998, that they never reported or sent to the gov, but they also did not provide us with annual year-end pay report (that summarized the annual deductions), which is law for all employers in the U.S. Does any ex-Sea Org member reading this remember ever receiving a W2 or W9?

            Reply

  50. Good Morning Mike and all.

    I am commenting here under my real name. I have said some pretty awful things about Scientology, Dave Miscavige and Hubbard here and on other blogs. Nobody has even contacted me about it.

    I was in the Sea Org for 25 years, signed all kinds of “bonds” that said I had to pay $25,000 if I revealed anything. I even did the big video taped one in the Hollywood Guarantee Building. No idea what I was signing, I don’t have a copy. No lawyer. I probably said I thought it was all great and promised to be as quiet as a church mouse. Whatever.

    I would have promised them to kiss the man in the moon if they would just let me out of there. No $500 or anything, no benefit to me, under duress. They have it on video and they have thousands of pages of crimes that I invented just to get them off my back. They haven’t tried to use it and they never will. Unless I go on TV with Leah, maybe I’d better retire first.

    On the other hand, in my work I also use Non-Disclosure Agreements. These are real and useful contracts signed with the expectation of confidentiality when new products are being discussed. These have a purpose and I would never think of violating them. They never cover up criminality. If I was asked to sign an NDA about something illegal I would just refuse. That is some business my company does not need.

    So feel free to come out of the shadows, lurkers, jump right in, the water’s fine.

    And maybe it will do some good. Like Hubbard said in the Data Series, we can be a “multiple viewpoint system”. What one knows but doesn’t fully understand will add up with something another knows but can’t prove. One knows times and events but can’t remember the names, the other knows the names but has no idea what really happened. Put it all together and you have a complete picture. Horrifying and disgusting, but fairly accurate.

    It is really important for newly out folks to speak up, because some of the crimes that I and others know about who have been out for a while can no longer be prosecuted under the statutes of limitations. Some minor crimes cannot be prosecuted after seven years etc. I know it is really scary when you first start to really look at it, but think about the ones still in who may never be free if the truth is not known.

    But even if it doesn’t lead to FBI raids it is still cathartic just to share what you know and see what others think of it. I know I would still be drinking the koolaid without the help of the many brave pioneers, the old guard and the new, that paved the way to truth. Thank you all.

    Reply

    • Thankyou Bruce!

      You’re bulletproof, in my mind you are sort of like Jeff Hawkins but to real word physics and electrical gear that the Base has needed to use.

      You’re bulletproof and your stories are so excellent.

      I hope other “techies” from Int get their heads on straight and speak of all the craziness.

      Bruce, do you remember the era of the overuse of the word “sabotage.”

      “Sabotage” this, sabotage that, was in vogue as a word still, in 1983 when I first visited the Int Base.

      LRH in some private traffic of the late 1970s at La Quinta or just after, he used the word “sabotage” a few times in his scathing traffic, and it trickled down and some of his use of the word was directed to Audio and/or Cine at the Base, and that word justified that high and mighty scathing condemnatory mentality for a stretch even up to 1983 when I first came to Int at Hemet.

      The whole late 1970s and early 1980s era, the mentality, at the top, and the managerial overview that existed in the then leadership of Scientology came directly from LRH’s crotchedyness in his then traffic, it’s clear.

      Do you remember “sabotage” and any other of the catchy condemnatory little phrases from the top leaders, like the local Programs Chiefs at the Base from CMO Gold or similar?

      “Crim reg” I recall even extended down to the HGB in LA, but that was along the lines of Gross Income Exec Int (GIEI). Orgs with “crim regs” had the difficult task of handlign their “crim regs” without tanking their orgs’ incomes, that’s a doozy problem, but just so typically Hubbard’s Scientology’s basic problem.

      Hubbard is the source of all their troubles, and he always wrote himself out of the picture in terms of blame though, so they blame their “crim regs” and top management blames the Ethics Officers, or blames the Managers who failed to get the Ethics Officers on post to catch the “crim regs” and Hubbard skates free and clean as Source of the good in Scientology, but Hubbard never in their minds catches the bad that is in the whole pressure cooker cult.

      Reply

      • Well, Chuck, I have probably now been set down in Int Base history as the one who “sabotaged” all the audio lines. Since I had a hand in just about everything electronic that is up there it would cost them millions to tear it all out. Who knows what they are saying, but anytime someone leaves they become the “why” for all and sundry. I saw this many times.

        What is really happening is:
        a. Hubbard said his elite Sea Org could do miracles
        b. They really can’t
        c. When the expected miracles fail to materialize it can’t be Hubbard’s or Dave’s fault. And nobody wants to be the scapegoat. So anything that goes wrong is blamed on someone who conveniently is not there or is on the RPF or in trouble or “out of favor”.

        Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Everyone in the Sea Org but Dave knows conditions are awful, no hope of improvement is on the horizon and the best result would be to shut the whole thing down. This is obvious even to the die-hards. But it goes against the grain to just give up.

        So they invent a complicated mythology to explain their failures. Like the ancient Gnostics, aeons and powers and false gods that come from true gods on and on. Anybody who stumbles becomes the why for everything that has gone wrong since the beginning of time.

        It can’t be that somebody was trying to do what Ron said and it just didn’t work. No, he has to be a plant or an FBI agent or from Smersch or Big Pharma or the psychs or something.

        I was reading some of the stuff that Captain Bill wrote about the Ron’s Orgs – telling about his adventures. He literally thought that some staff members had been subjected to Pain Drug Hypnosis and crept secretly into his Sea Org units with programmed plans to screw him up. Like the Manchurian Candidate. Talk about paranoia.

        But I guess that hurts less than the cognitive dissonance they get when they think that maybe Ron or Dave was wrong about something. It’s all or nothing and failure is not an option.

        Reply

      • Very true Bruce, as each of us “disapeared” it was always “they were CI” and other language I will not commit to print.
        I have never met so many backstabbers in one place (or ever) as we knew.
        The abuses were (are) real and watching them on TV lying their asses off and then telling me to my face the same shit when I had experienced them was the beginning of the end for me. I knew I could not trust a thing they said as truth.

        Reply

    • Meph, on my path, I try to keep my thoughts, words & actions, loving, compassionate & kind. I do believe in Karma. What you think, say & do, goes to the universe. And, like a boomerang, it comes back to you. Imagine what Davy is in store for!

      Reply

        • “…heading back in his direction…”at the speed of light. DUCK!!!!! He didn’t duck. All I you can say is, quack, quack.

          Reply

          • In Scientology you can be a squirrel, a rabbit or a tiger, but apparently, there’s no place for ducks. Dave could be a chipmunk.

            Reply

  53. I did do that. I reported to an FBI agent who was part of a human-trafficking/rights abuse investigation that I was held captive, drugged, mentally and physically abused on the Freewinds in the Caribbean, at the Scientology PAC Base in Los Angeles and in Reserve, New Mexico for a total of 15 months from July ’93 to October ’94.

    She told me the Statute of Limitations had expired and that they needed evidence of more recent incidents. I was told that the investigation had been suspended and the Agent that I had spoken to had been re-assigned shortly thereafter.

    So much for that.

    Reply

    • Are you done with your investigation of Tony Ortega, Chris Shelton and Karen De La Carriere you were talking about on your blog at 13. September?

      Reply

  56. Something else to keep in mind: The church, and especially David Miscavige, can’t afford to be deposed and made to testify in court. They, and he, will do anything to keep from having to step foot in court and “tell the truth.”

    Just imagine DM having to take the stand and get grilled by a competent lawyer. I’m sure he’s imagined this scenario many times.

    Reply

    • Looks like DM may be going into the “end of life Hubbard stage”:

      Going mad and spending all his cash to secure a hiding place.

      Reply

      • Brian, I can envision dave going mad and collecting his to go into hiding. It’s karma…following in the footsteps of huckster Hubbard. Kind of like being a Nazi and trying to escape to South America or somewhere…living In Denial. But they do get found. And persecuted eventually.

        Reply

  58. knowledgereports@hushmail.com

    Brilliant idea.

    The main ideas trickle back into the movement.

    knowledgereports@hushmail.com is a great idea to trickle BACK into Scientology staffers’ minds.

    Mike, I wish some ex law enforcement types, procesutors, would offer their tips on what existing “crim” Scientology staffers who have a change of heart, and who wish to go to authorities, the “needed and wanted” from the prosecutors’ end of things, so that they could successfully try solid winnable cases and end all of Scientology’s illegal abuses.

    Morally ending Scientology’s abuses and repeat “crim reg” stuff, just takes constant media exposure.

    PS: Does any former Int Base staffers remember the phrase “crim reg” and did LRH ever utter than condemnatory label. Ironic that Scientology’s top managers used to utter the “crim reg” condemnatory label, yet Scientology culture produces and forwards “crim regging.”

    Reply

  59. The time has come,” the Walrus said,
    “To talk of many things:
    Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
    Of cabbages–and kings–
    And why the sea is boiling hot–
    And whether pigs have wings.

    Blow this wide open!

    Reply

  60. The tipping point seems to be tipping. Please come forward. This could be the tsumani of karma that brings this beast down.

    Your story is IMPORTANT!

    Reply

  61. Excellent post today Mike. My husband and I signed these “documents” about 3 years ago before the start of our horrific sec-checks that we had to have IN ORDER to keep our kids and family (we lost them anyway). I have been speaking out very publicly in the past 9 months. Nothing has happened from the church…….it means nothing……it was pure coercion….you either do this or you are declared and will lose your family. Plain and simple.

    Reply

  62. IAAL and I can say THIS IS TRUE. You cannot be sued if you report a crime you have witnessed.

    The fact that no one has been sued (outside of Debbie Cook) speaks volumes.

    Generally speaking, a contract in unenforceable if its terms are unconscionable…..for example, if its terms are extraordinary (a billion years).

    Mike is also correct in saying minors cannot be held to contracts they signed while in their minority (generally under 18).

    Again the fact they haven’t sued anyone is key here. They most likely do not want the terms
    of their contracts made public and they saw how things went during the Debbie Cook trial, so they are not likely to do it again.

    The most important thing to remember is criminal behavior is NOT protected by contract law.

    Great post Mike! It’s so important to get that information out there. And now that more people are being exposed to Co$ abuses through Aftermath, more judges are going to know he truth, more police, more jurors, etc.

    Reply

    • Chee, is IAAL short for “I Am A Lawyer”? If so, can you please weigh in with your legal opinion concerning the potential fraud committed by the Co$ in the Social Security Insurance payroll deduction matter that Karen Pressley mentioned above, and that Chuck Beatty also commented on as affecting him as well?

      It seems to me that this could be both a criminal and civil matter, and that if was a widespread and ongoing practice affecting all Sea Orgy staff, then they could potentially qualify as a legal class for the purpose of bringing suit against the Co$ in a class action lawsuit.

      Reply

      • I am no expert in SSA regulations and the ‘religious worker’ angle certainly might throw a wrench into any kind of criminal prosecution.
        And I don’t know the exact terms of the 1993 agreement with the IRS. Was any of it retroactive? I’m assuming part of it was because the outstanding billion dollar tax bill was forgiven (according to COB anyway….”….there will be no billion dollar tax bill we cannot pay…..”)
        So, was any IRS ‘forgivenesses’ extended to SSA deductions?

        The question that maybe a tax lawyer or an accountant could answer would be:
        Are religious workers exempt from paying into SSA and if so, are any deductions taken for that purpose, illegal takings?

        I am a lawyer, but not a tax attorney. I do work with one and will ask him on Monday.

        As far as statute of limitations, I would be surprised if there was one on this issue. I think the IRS can look into fraud regardless of how far back it goes. But I do not know for sure. The problem in prosecuting a case like that would be proof

        That is why SOLs exist in the first place. After a period of time, people’s memories fade and paper evidence can be lost or may be difficult to authenticate.

        I believe IRS audits are for limited times periods, but again, I don’t know for sure. I’ll ask my tax attorney co-worker on Monday and see what his thoughts are.

        It’s so frustrating because they hide behind the religious angle at every turn….free speech, employees working below minimum wage and other labor laws, religious worker visas, the RPF, just about every facet of life.

        That is why removing the religious exemption would be a major blow to the Co$….and not just for the tax dollars.

        So I will try to find out (unless there is a tax attorney or an accountant who can answer this sooner):

        1). Are religious workers required to pay into SSA?
        2) is everyone employee of the Co$ deemed a ‘religious worker’ or is that limited to Sea Org members (the clergy of the Co$)
        3) what happens when an employer withholds SSA but doesn’t pay into the system? (And here’s why I would not be surprised if there was no SOL on this….most people won’t know their employer hasn’t paid into the system for years until they retire and go to collect

        Remember there are different kinds of religious employees…..my sister worked for the Catholic Church for years, but she is not a nun. She paid into SSA.
        But there are different classifications of religious workers…..like lay people versus priests and nuns (clergy). I don’t know how the Co$ classifies staff vs Sea Org and what the 1993 agreement covered.

        I’m sure the Co$ would love to classify all its employees as the Scientology equivalent to clergy (that is, people who live communally and take vows)
        Or did the 1993 agreement limit that classification to members of the Sea Org?

        I’ll find out what I can on religious workers and SSA and deductions taken but not given to the government. (If they were taken, they should be given to the government or returned….my question will be what can someone do if they find out they paid into SSA but their employer did not turn it into the govt).
        And also any SOLs that may be applicable

        I encourage anyone out there who knows for sure to answer before Monday!

        Reply

        • Chee, it would be great to know what you discover after talking to your co-workers Monday. In another post, I encouraged all exes to walk into their local social security office and ask why their statements show zero during the years they worked for scientology. Everyone should emphasize that Scientology has evidentially robbed the social security administration of dollara collected from members that were then not paid to the gov. Let’s get this investigation rolling.

          Reply

  63. What you say here Mike IS important and hope many will come forth.

    I was in fear for many years not wanting to come forward. Telling the truth was not the problem, as I had it, but because I couldn’t afford an attorney if they sued me. Finally, I was convinced for myself that you and others were right. Thank you.

    Reply

  64. Excellent points Mike and the information you provided is so valuable to those UTR or still-ins that have valuable knowledge of criminal acts of the cult.

    I know when we were paying for sec-checks a few years back, they made us sign some sort of confidentiality contract. I don’t even know what it said as I would have signed anything to keep our sons in our life. At the time Lois and I were only paying for sec-checks so the cult would think that we were on board with them to keep our sons from disconnecting. The contract was signed under duress and further the money that we paid for sec-checks was extortion in my opinion. In all honesty, they should give us the ransom money that we paid back to us and as you say they seem to know their contracts are worthless.

    I don’t know any lawyers that specialize in class action suits against cults, but I wonder if there are similar victims that could be drawn together to initiate such an action. There is not only the money that was paid but the stress and trauma and loss of work that the cult’s actions have caused is quite significant. It would be interesting to hear of other people’s stories.

    Reply

    • I was thinking the same thing. A class action law suit. I think that could happen. Can people organize, find an attorney, and start it up?

      Reply

    • Can of worms territory, this mental fallout that long term Scientology follower/staffer duty.

      Just total can of worms.

      Thank goodness for the internet data sharing allowing ex members get to prosecutors quicker.

      knowledgereports@hushmail.com

      The lady in OSA who gets to read Mike Rinder’s blog, this above email address is for you!

      If Rae Smith is reading this, Rae, start writing the truth and gather some evidence and blow and give the data to the prosecutors!

      Reply

  65. Of course, after what happened in the Debbie Cook trial, the CoS cannot risk having a courtroom trial again, as any case might be going from the frying into the fire (for THEM).

    Reply

    • I second that. Mike, this was such a powerful post. You and Leah are warriors and saviors at the same time. The Eye of the Tiger that she danced to is so true. Thank you both for what you are doing.

      Reply

  67. You guys are very brave for what you are doing to help. I’m fascinated and so is most of the world watching this unfold. Kudos to all of you!

    Reply

    • Agree Stacy. These ex members have been through hell and it’s wonderful to see this engine gaining steam.

      I say kudos too. Let’s see this evil cult divested and this money/real estate given back to whom it belongs. Miscavige’s head on a pike for the the coup de grace.

      Reply

      • Thirded!

        The criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology certainly tries hard to silence ex-victims, but as Mike points out, there is a limit to what they can do. Yes, sleazy PIs trailing you and nasty phone calls to employers can be done, but only a few cases are feasible. Ex-victims have strength in numbers, especially when they decide to do something with those numbers. (At least, that’s the way it should be…)

        Reply

  68. Wow, this information is so helpful as it removes the lies about the agreements.

    I will come forward with what I know is illegal and I’m more than willing to do whatever to put an end to the abuses of miscavigeand his minions.

    Thank you Mike, real thanks!

    Reply

  69. This show has been so enlightening! I can’t imagine the pain that so many families have gone through. Bravo to you and Leah for being brave enough to expose this terrible injustice!

    Reply

  70. Terrific post, Mike.

    Btw, I would sometime love to see you post on the concept of “losing one’s eternity”. By definition, just what do they mean by that? Eternity is “timelessness” and how could anyone lose that? Seems to me it’s a totally ridiculous threat, yet seems to have many innies in terror.

    Reply

    • I don’t usually post much but this is a Great question because this is the crux of what Scientology is really all about. I will try to give you some insight of this, see we were all powerful beings with powers beyond the imagination according to Hubbard. Since entering this Universe from Incident one 4 quadrillion years ago it has been downhill since for all Thetans “the dwindling spiral”. To the point that most of us are now Body Thetans , BT for short or some sort of degraded being. So you have gone from being all powerful to a degraded being that may be below even running a body. Body Thetans are to some degree unconscious. Only Scientology can stop this dwindling spiral for all beings in this Universe and make you all powerful again that’s OT. That is why the Sea Org signed Billion year contracts because they are going to clear the universe! So technically you really can’t lose your eternity but can spend it way below death in a kind of self made hell. Incident One is not talked about much but really is more important than Incident 2 that’s Xenu 75 million years ago, which is only for this sector of the galaxy. This is a brief synopsis of what Scientology is all about. Now when I was in Scientology which I am sorry to say was much of my adult life. This would have been completely treasonous of me to tell you this. Hubbard said it would have been way over your head and who knows may have driven you insane or killed you to know. This whole subject would be a great article or two for Terra Incognito. I hope this helps your understanding, it is kind of like going to hell in the Christian religion but probably worse.

      Reply

      • Murray I get all that and I also understand that scientology is the only way to remember your past lives and way to council your body thetans and basically pat them on the head and tell them to leAve your body. What I don’t understand is how scientology, an organization presumably not staffed by gods or superhumans, has the power to make you “lose” all of that in your future lives. If your bts are gone a letter issued from osa is not going to make them all flood back into your body. And also a letter from osa has no way to make you forget things you would otherwise remember in a future life. I’m using scientology’s own doctrines here. No person has the power to go into another person’s brain and make them forget things for all eternity unless they are an all-powerful god, and scientology doesn’t believe that people are gods. Right? Nothing a fellow human being writes down on a piece of paper can possibly affect either bts or your memory.

        Reply

        • The answer is that they will be denied scientology and thus never be able to get out of the trap because they have the only way out and thus you are condemned to spend your eternity in a bad state.

          Reply

        • if it made sense, it wouldn’t be $cientology…

          Semi-seriously, a coercive organisation has many strings to pull. Check out Jon Atack’s “opening minds: the secret world of manipulation, undue influence and brainwashing”

          Reply

  71. Regarding Service “Agreements” and Waivers parishioners sign, I think it’s very interesting the sequence that is used:

    1) Give the church a lot of money
    2) Once paid in full, you “enroll” for the service
    3) No one starts the service without signing their “legal” documents. Nor are they made aware of the Terms and Conditions before they parted with their cash.
    4) If you were to change your mind and refuse to sign the documents, you will not be given your money back
    5) If you ask for your money back, you will be declared and Fair Gamed

    No coercion here.

    How in the world can any of this be legal?

    If a commercial enterprise operated this way they would have a guest spot on 60 Minutes.

    Reply

    • If a commercial enterprise operated this way they would have a guest spot on 60 Minutes.

      This is the key. Because scientology is afforded First Amendment protection, courts are precluded from entangling themselves in “religious beliefs”. Scientology has become expert at convincing courts they may not ponder, consider or comment upon HOW scientology conducts itself. I could go on forever. The Bill of Rights was intended to protect the individual from oppression of government and religion. It has been turned on its head so the First Amendment protects the institution in favor of the rights of individuals. Sad.

      Reply

      • “The Bill of Rights was intended to protect the individual from oppression of government and religion. It has been turned on its head so the First Amendment protects the institution in favor of the rights of individuals.” – Mike Rinder

        Great quote.

        Reply

      • We need a crack shot tough constitutional lawyer who wants to make a name for himself.

        Someone who sees this as a personal opportunity and a civil duty.

        A little enlightened self interest.

        Are you out there?

        Reply

        • I think we have the potential to pull this off Brian! A class action lawsuit may be the best way to approach this. The only option for Dave would be the endless delaying tactics in hopes that things would quite down and go away.

          Reply

      • And because the government and the courts have their hands tied, the ‘Commercial Enterprise’ masquerading as a religion known as Scientology will have to be exposed in a more grass roots manner.

        We the people …………….. ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ ………. will need to stand up and set the matter straight.

        Thank you Mike, Leah, A&E, Tony, Chris, Karen……………… and everyone involved in exposing the truth about the Cult pretending to be a religion.

        This list has grown legs and will get the job DONE. Dave and His band of criminals has been encircled. Each day and each week more truth pours out because people who know the facts are willing to state their truths regardless of the snarling, flailing threats from the monster of lies and deceit.

        Yo Dave,
        How do you like the musical chairs now good buddy? We ARE coming for you and everyone who continues to support your activities. Yes OSA (you who are reading this blog) we mean you too. Get out today and start your amends!

        Reply

      • It’s easy to see how murky, and how quickly, things get.  Once Scn was allowed to say and refer to HCO PLs as “scripture”, their immoral and unethical actions became “religious practice.”

        Maybe its more realistic to introduce a Federal Compliance Checklist for all non-profits? Things like: No sexual mistreatment or violations; No age, race, gender discriminations; No financial fraud, etc.

        The idea being, “You enjoy extraordinary rights by the Constitution, however that does not include the right to harm others. These guidelines are set in place to ensure that does not happen. Non-compliance threatens your non-profit status.”

        Reply

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