US Department of Justice Scathing Takedown of Scientology

This is one of the most damning documents in the history of scientology.  It summarizes the incriminating files seized in the FBI raid conducted in 1977.

The raids in Washington DC and Los Angeles garnered thousands of documents which were combed through by DOJ lawyers as part of the prosecution of Mary Sue Hubbard and her top deputies in the Guardian’s Office. Ultimately they pled guilty in October 1979 — Mary Sue received a 5 year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. L. Ron Hubbard was an unindicted co-conspirator — he had kept his name off GO documents, and those charged fell on their swords to protect him from prosecution. This close shave with the law put him in a permanent state of fear for the rest of his life.

Those who were prosecuted were acting on the orders of Hubbard, often through Mary Sue, but nevertheless, their activities were pursuant to the Hubbard policies and directives on how to deal with “enemies” of scientology. Those same policies and directives remain in place to this day. The use of the term “Fair Game” may have been canceled, but as Hubbard himself said in the cancellation: “this P/L (Policy Letter) does not cancel any policy on the treatment or handling of an SP.”

The memo makes clear that the defendants attempted to offer up the same excuses scientology uses to this day: “church policy says don’t do anything illegal” (so of course we didn’t do anything illegal and “the church” is blameless), “we were exercising our religious freedom rights not to be persecuted” and thoroughly dismantles them.

Scathing is perhaps an understatement for what is contained in this document.

All law enforcement agencies and litigants interacting with scientology must read this document and understand that it is NOT merely historical.

These are excerpts taken from the 70 page memo filed by the DOJ lawyers (a link to the full copy is at the end of this post):

 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Criminal Case No, 78-401

MARY SUE HUBBARD, et al.

SENTENCING MEMORANDUM OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

… brazen, systematic and persistent burglaries of United States Government offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California, over an extended period of at least some two years.

… the pervasive conduct of the defendants in this case in thwarting a federal Grand Jury investigation by harboring a fugitive, in effect forcefully kidnapping a witness who had decided to surrender to the federal authorities, submitting false evidence to the Grand Jury, destroying other evidence which might have been of valuable aid to its investigation, preparing a cover-up story, and encouraging and drilling a crucial witness to give false testimony under oath to that Grand Jury.

The indictment and the evidence set out massive conspiracies to burglarize Government offices, steal Government property, intercept private Governmental communications, obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Grand Jury investigation into those burglaries, thefts, and “buggings”, harbor and conceal a fugitive, and make false declarations to the federal Grand Jury,

… these documents and the witnesses’ testimony establishes beyond question that the defendants and their unindicted co-conspirators, as well as their organizations, considered themselves above the law. They believed that they had carte blanche to violate the rights of others, frame critics in order to destroy them, burglarize private and public offices and steal documents outlining the strategy of individuals and organizations that the Church had sued. These suits were filed by the Church for the sole purpose of financially bankrupting its critics and in order to create an atmosphere of fear so that critics would shy away from exercising the First Amendment rights secured them by the Constitution.

The defendants and their cohorts launched vicious smear campaigns, spreading falsehoods against those they perceived to be enemies of Scientology in order to discredit them and, in some instances, cause them to lose their employment.

The brazen and persistent burglaries, thefts and buggings directed against the United States Government were but one minor aspect of the defendants wanton assault upon the laws of this country. The well-orchestrated campaign to thwart the federal Grand Jury Investigation by destroying evidence, giving false fingerprints in response to a Grand Jury subpoena, harboring a fugitive, kidnapping a witness, preparing an elaborate cover-up story, and assisting in the giving of false statements to the Grand Jury shows the contempt which these defendants had for the judicial system of this country. Their total disregard for the laws is further made clear by the criminal campaigns of vilification, burglaries and thefts which they carried out against private and public individuals and organizations and carefully documented in minute detail.

…these defendants were willing to frame their critics to the point of giving false testimony under oath against them, and having them arrested and indicted speaks legion for their disdain for the rule of law. Indeed, they arrogantly placed themselves above the law meting out their personal brand of punishment to those “guilty” of opposing their selfish alms.

The crimes committed by these defendants is of a breadth and scope previously unheard of. No building, office, desk, or file was safe from their snooping and prying.’ No individual or organization was free from their despicable conspiratorial minds. The tools of their trade were miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret codes, ‘ forged credentials, and any other device they found necessary to carry out their conspiratorial schemes .

L. Ron Hubbard wrote in his dictionary entitled “Modern Management Technology Defined” that “truth is what is true for you.” Thus, with the founder’s blessings they could wantonly commit perjury as long as it was in the Interest of Scientology. The defendants rewarded criminal activities that ended in success and sternly rebuked those that failed. The standards of human conduct embodied in such practices represent no less than the absolute perversion of any known ethical value system. In view of this, it defies the imagination that these defendants have the unmitigated audacity to seek to defend their actions in the name of “religion,” That these defendants now attempt to hide behind the sacred principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to privacy — which principles they repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to violate with impunity — adds insult to the injuries which they have inflicted on every element of society.

 

They detail some specific activities against other organizations than the US Government:

American Medical Association

In the early 1970 ‘s, unindicted co-conspirator L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, issued an order concerning the “Great Health Monopoly” , which accused the AMA of monopolizing health care to the exclusion of groups such as Scientology. In this order, Hubbard called for the breakup of the AMA.

In accordance with the founder’s policy, the AMA’s Chicago headquarters were first infiltrated in 1972 by Kathy Gregg under the supervision of defendant Gregory Willardson. Documents stolen during this period were utilized in the publication of a book written by unindicted co-conspirator Joe Lisa using a pseudonym. The book, entitled “In the Public Interest,” was covertly published and distributed by the Information Bureau of the Guardian’s Office in order to discredit the AMA.

In early 197*, unindicted co-conspirator Bruce Raymond, then the Information Bureau’s Operations Officer, came to the District of Columbia to order Michael Meisner, then the Assistant Guardian for Information in the District of Columbia, to recruit and place an agent in the AMA’s District of Columbia office. Defendant Hermann, who was in charge of covert operations In the District of Columbia, recruited June Byrne and assisted her in Infiltrating the local AMA office under the false name of Lisa Giannotti.  (See document no. 12687 which was addressed to defendant Snider and initialed by defendants Heldt, Willardson and Snider).

Another covert operative was placed in the Chicago headquarters of the AMA in order to obtain all documents on the CCHI. That agent. Sherry Hermann, a/k/a Sherry Canavaro and Sandy Cooper

Footnote 10 / See document no. 1008l, Exhibit No. 2 . which contains much correspondence among defendants Heldt, Weigand and Raymond concerning the use of Ms. Byrne as a covert operative at the Clearwater Sun newspaper, following her detection by AMA investigators in 1975. At page nineteen, defendant Raymond stated that June Byrne had been blown as a Scientology agent at the Clearwater Sun . She added “that there is a chain of events leading up to the base blown agents which starts in late 1974 when June (The CWSUN FSM) was placed in the AMA D.C.” Defendant Raymond discussed the placement of Jodie Gurapert as a second covert agent at the AMA in the District of Columbia, her detection by the AMA, and her subsequent infiltration of the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce. The entire report is written by defendant Raymond and addressed to defendant Weigand and was prepared at the request of defendant Heldt and his superiors.

In the Spring of 1975, Mr, Meisner received an order approved by defendant Weigand to covertly leak to the press the numerous AMA documents which had been obtained in the District of Columbia and Chicago. That action was intended to provoke investigations of the AMA’s tax exempt status by Congressional Committees, the IRS, and the Federal Trade Commission. (Document no. 2373, a compliance report from defendant Weigand to defendant Heldt, and document no. 15526, a letter from defendant Willardson.) Pursuant to these directives, Mr. Meisner was to anonymously contact reporters and send them copies of these stolen documents. Newspapers subsequently referred to that anonymous source as “Sore Throat.” The reference to “ST” by defendant Willardson on document no. 15526 (at pages 2, 17 and 18) establishes that “Sore Throat” was indeed a member of the Guardian’s Office.

The memorandum goes on to list other organizations, including Better Business Bureaus, Mental Health Organizations,  Law Firms and individuals. The most egregious was the campaign against Paulette Cooper which is laid out in some detail:

Paulette Cooper

In 1976 the highest ranking Scientologists in the United States, including at least six of the defendants designed a series of plans which had as their goal the imprisonment* or commitment to a mental institution of one of their critics, an author and journalist named Paulette Cooper. Paulette Cooper is the author of The Scandal of Scientology , a work highly critical of Scientology.

In the Spring of 1976 six separate schemes were devised with the express purpose “To get P.C. (Paulette Cooper) incarcerated in a mental institution or Jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks.”

The six separate schemes were jointly entitled ”Operation Freakout.” In its Initial form Operation Freakout had three different plans.

The first required a woman to imitate Paulette Cooper’s voice and make telephone threats to Arab Consulates in New York. (Documents nos. 11422 at 3, H973 at 2-3.)

The second scheme involved mailing a threatening letter to an Arab Consulate in such a fashion that it would appear to have been done by Paulette Cooper. (Documents nos. 11422 at 3-4, 11973 at 3-4.)

Finally, a Scientology field staff member was to impersonate Paulette Cooper at a laundry and threaten the President and the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. (Documents nos. 11422 at 5, 11973 at 5, 11972.) A second Scientologist would thereafter advise the FBI of the threat.  (Documents nos. 11422 at 5, 11973 at 5.)

Two additional plans to Operation Freakout were added on April 13, 1976. Unindicted co-conspirator Bruce Raymond, the National Operations Officer, sent the two plans to defendants Willardson and Cindy Raymond. (Documents nos. 11422 at 9-10, 11423, Exhibit No. ^.)

The fourth plan called for Scientology field staff members who had ingratiated themselves with Cooper to gather information from Cooper so Scientology could assess the success of the first three plans . (Documents nos, 11422 at 6, 11973 et 6.)

The fifth plan was for a Scientologist to warn an Arab Consulate by telephone that Paulette Cooper had been talking about bombing them. (Documents nos. 11422 at 6, 11973 at 6.)

The Sixth and final part of Operation Freakout was sent to defendants Weigand, Willardson and Raymond on April 13 1976 by Bruce Raymond, a/k/a Randy Windment. (Document no. 11423.) In this plan Scientologists were to obtain Paulette Cooper’s fingerprints on a blank piece of paper, type a threatening letter to Kissinger on that paper, and mail it.

Footnote 19 / The sixth plan bears a distinct resemblance to a scheme of Scientologists in 1972 and 1973 against Paulette Cooper. In 1972 Scientologists obtained Paulette Cooper’s fingerprints on a blank piece of paper, typed two bomb threat letters on that and’ another piece of paper, sent the threats to Scientology offices in New York, and then advised the FBI that they had received the threats and that they may have come from Cooper. Paulette Cooper was indicted in the Southern District of New York in 1973 for making these threats. An order Nolle Prosequi was filed on that indictment in 1975. As Bruce Raymond/Randy Windment noted in his April 13, 1976 “CSW” to defendant Weigand, which Weigand approved, the sixth plan of Operation Freakout was likely to prove effective since the same kind of scheme against Cooper had worked in the past.

Footnote 21/ In another vicious campaign to smear the reputation of Ms. Cooper, the defendants spread vile rumors that were totally false about her sex life, (Document no. 12837 adressed to defendant Weigand and initialed by defendant Willardson; see also document no, 12887 at 1-2.)

 

Another victim of note was the former Mayor of Clearwater, Gabe Cazares.

Gabriel Cazares

When Scientology first decided to set up a base in Clearwater, Florida, in late 1975, it did so using the cover name of “United Churches of Florida” (UCF) with no outward connection to Scientology. Gabriel Cazares, who was Clearwater’s Mayor, campaigned for the disclosure of the true purposes of the UCF, When UCF’s connections to Scientology were uncovered. Mayor Cazares became highly critical of Scientology. Because of his criticism. Mayor Cazares was targeted by the Information Bureau of Guardian’s Office and covert operations designed to remove him from office were ordered.

To that end, in early March 1976, defendant Hermann notified defendant Snider that Mayor Cazares was about to attend a Mayor’s Conference in Washington, D.C,, on March 13-17, and that Assistant Guardian for Information in Clearwater Joe Lisa was formulating a covert operation that Mayor

Cazares had a mistress. (Document no. 19649; Exhibit No . 12. ) Shortly, thereafter, defendant Hermann ordered Mr. Meisner to carry out an operation on Mayor Cazares during his Washington trip — that operation was to involve a fake hit- and-run accident. Defendant Sharon Thomas was to be the main participant in that operation. She was to meet Mayor Cazares, drive him around town, and at a predetermined location stage a hit-and-run accident with Mr. Meisner as the “victim.”

On March 14, 1976, District of Columbia Collections Officer Joseph Alesi, posing as a reporter interviewed Mayor Cazares. During that interview, he met defendant Sharon Thomas. Thomas then offered to show Mayor Cazares the town. During that drive, defendant Thomas, who was driving, staged her fake hit-and-run accident in Rock Creek Park, hitting Michael Meisner. She drove on without reporting the accident to the police. Of course, defendant Thomas knew that no harm had been caused to the “victim.” (Document no. 23000; Exhibit No. JU.) In a letter dated March 15, 1976, to CSC Assistant for Information Jimmy Mulligan and fugitive defendant Morris (Mo) Budlong, defendant Weigand discussed how Scientology could use that “fake” accident against Mayor Cazares and concluded that “I should think that the Mayor’s political days are at an end.” (I^. at 2.)

In March 1976, defendant Willardson approved another “operation” directing that false marriage documents be planted to show that Mayor Cazares had been secretly married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1938-1940 and that he was, therefore, a bigamist. The operation was approved by defendant Weigandon March 30, 1976. (Documents nos. 11376 and 11377.)

In the Summer of 1976, fake letters from “Sharon T” were mailed by Scientology to citizens in the Clearwater area stating that Mayor Cazares had been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Also during that time “Project Taco-Less” was issued, calling for the release of “further data about the Mayor” to “ruin his political career and remove/restrain him as an opponent to Scn [Scientology].” (Documents nos. 1504-1505.) On November 3» 1976, unindicted co-conspirator Joe Lisa informed defendant Snider that Mayor Cazares had been defeated in the Congressional race as a result of the implementation of Guardian Program Order 398 and the other Scientology actions which included

 

There is a great deal more information contained in the complete document here: USA V MSH SENTENCING MEMO

Scientology continues to operate on the policies and directives of L. Ron Hubbard to this day.

A new raid by the FBI would uncover the current plans, programs and nefarious actions they are engaged in which would bear a striking resemblance to those the DOJ wrote about here. Considering themselves above the law. Planting spies and infiltration. Framing people. Lying. Hiding witnesses.

I have recorded a YouTube video referencing this blog post that is now on my YouTube channel.