Ortega Underground [APR.01.13]
Former Narconon employee Eric Tenorio has turned over to the
Underground Bunker a remarkable e-mail written by a Narconon
International legal affairs officer who admits that “we do not have
scientific evidence of” the 70 percent and higher rates of success that
the rehab programs advertise.
Eric Tenorio - whistle blower
In 2009, Tenorio was working at Narconon
Freedom Treatment Center in Albion, Michigan when the facility became
the subject of a Better Business Bureau complaint. As the center
prepared a response to the complaint, Tenorio was one of several
executives at the center who received copies of e-mails going back and
forth between Freedom Center and Narconon International, the non-profit
that oversees all Narconon facilities. (Narconon International in turn
reports to the Association for Better Living and Education, which is
staffed only by Scientology “Sea Org” officials.)
In the draft of its response to the BBB, Freedom Center’s officials
referred to the 70 percent success rate that all Narconon centers
advertise (some push it even higher — some ads have been seen with claims of up to 90
percent success).
Note, these success rates are completely out
of scale with more legitimate rehab programs, which typically advertise
success rates closer to 25 percent.
Tenorio says that the Freedom Center’s draft response was shown to
Claudia Arcabascio, Narconon International’s Legal Affairs Director.
Below, is a copy of the internal email the Legal Affairs Director for the entire Narconon network admitting
that there is no scientific basis for 70 percent success claims:
SCIENTOLOGY DRUG REHAB CENTER HIT WITH FIVE MORE LAWSUITS
Narconon Arrowhead Rehab Center
Underground Bunker [MAR.21.13] ~ Scientology’s troubled flagship drug rehab facility in Oklahoma —
Narconon Arrowhead — was hit with five additional lawsuits today, all
filed by Gary Richardson, the attorney who is handling four other
wrongful death and fraud suits against the center.
Three deaths at the facility in nine months (the last in July 2012)
has resulted in local and state investigations, the Oklahoma legislature
is this week considering a new bill to tighten regulation of the
facility, and earlier this month Narconon Arrowhead’s CEO, Gary Smith,
had his drug counselor certification permanently revoked.
And today, Gary Richardson filed five additional lawsuits against the
facility, each of which is alleging that Narconon is a fraudulent
business that advertises bogus success rates. Each of the suits names
Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon International, and Scientology’s “good
works” umbrella non-profit, the Association for Better Living and
Education. [continued@tonyortega.org]
Lawsuits allege Narconon Arrowhead counselors traded sex for drugs
mcalesternews.com [MAR.22.13] ~ Narconon Arrowhead counselors allegedly traded drugs for sex and
fraudulently charged a patients credit card some $14,500 according to
allegations found in five lawsuits filed Thursday against the facility.
The lawsuits were filed Thursday in Pittsburg County District Court.
Also among the allegations the suits say Narconon influenced a
grandmother to take out a $7,000 loan to “save her grandson’s life” and
Narconon charged some $14,500 to a credit card obtained without the
cardholders knowledge. [continued@mcalesternews.com]
News2: NARCONON ARROWHEAD - Faces five more lawsuits
tonyortega.org [MAR.11.13] Some remarkable documents hit the Internet yesterday. They appear to be actual scripts used by employees who answer the phone numbers listed at drug rehab information websites with generic-sounding names.
The websites claim to deliver impartial advice about drug rehabilitation programs, but many of them are in fact front operations for Scientology’s rehab network, Narconon. According to the scripts — as well as confirmation by several former employees — the people who answer these phone calls are instructed to do everything they can to convince a family to send a potential patient to a Narconon center (and they earn a large bounty for doing so).
It’s the first step in Narconon’s deceptive business model, which has come under intense scrutiny in the past year because of deaths at centers in Oklahoma and Georgia. Before patients arrive at the centers, however, they must be convinced to go there. And that’s where these scripts come in.
Researcher Mary McConnell obtained the scripts from a source inside the Southern California Narconon network — known as “Narconon Fresh Start” — and posted them to a Scribd account and to the Reaching for the Tipping Point Forum, which keeps a close eye on Scientology’s drug rehab program.
While it’s not unusual for businesses to provide scripts to their telephone operators, particularly in telemarketing firms, the Narconon scripts are remarkable for how plainly they spell out Scientology’s total influence over the process and the deceptive methods used to answer the questions of callers. [continued @ tonyortega.org]
wtsp.com [NOV.16.12] The allegations are coming from the former number-two man in the Scientology organization, and involve what he says is a multi-million dollar cover up of the death of a woman in Scientology care.
The woman at the center of it all is Lisa McPherson, who died in 1995 after being involved in a minor traffic accident.
Marty Rathbun, the former number-two man in Scientology, alleges that the organization showered gifts on the Medical Examiner's attorney, Jeff Goodis, to influence her to change the cause of death. Once that happened, the criminal case fell apart.
In addition, Rathbun says the Church hired another attorney, former prosecutor Lee Fugate, to have illegal Ex parte meetings with judges involved in the case.
Rathbun says,"Listen. Lee Fugate, his value was to schmooze. As a matter of fact, that's what David Miscavige and myself used to say. Let's get lee to schmooze; let's get Lee to schmooze."
Marty Rathbun
In the suit, Rathbun contends the Church of Scientology spent at least $30 million to get the charges dropped, and mitigates the damages in the civil suit.
Jeff Goodis denies the charges and Attorney Lee Fugate says he can't comment on a federal suit, but it would be shocking to believe that some of Pinellas' top judges could be involved in illegal activity like this.
However Ken Dandar, the attorney who represented McPherson's family against the church, says, "Maybe Mr. Rathbun doesn't know what he is talking about, and maybe it's all his imagination. I don't think so..."
Dandar says the organization has come after him. He's says attorney Wally Pope and Judge Robert Beach have illegally claimed the settlement papers in the McPherson case.
Ken Dandar
Papers that included what's called a "practice restriction" so Dandar could never sue Scientology again.
Dandar adds," If what I've been told is correct, I will go after the people who have corrupted the system, and I will go after the members of the system that have been corrupted."
[continued@wtsp.com]
Below, from the ODIT Archives: Lisa McPherson Story
xenutv.com ~ Lisa was a devoted Scientologist for many years. In late 1995, she indicated to family and friends that she would be coming home to Texas. She never made it home. Instead, Lisa spent her last days confined in Scientology’s Fort Harrison Hotel.
During those 17 days, Lisa was undergoing a psychotic breakdown while under constant guard by Scientology staffers who tried to handle her with Hubbard policies. By the time they rushed her to a hospital it was too late. She had lost 40 pounds and was severely dehydrated. Lisa was pronounced dead on arrival.
Lisa's case is a good representation of the many people harmed or even killed by Scientology. Her case is well documented from court proceedings, Scientology documents, and good reporting. It's also a case that DM [David Miscavige] himself had a direct hand in, according to Marty Rathbun.
lisamcpherson.org averages about 250 visitors per day. There are many other sites that tell her story as well, so her life is remembered. Lisa's family wanted her story to be told so her fate would not happen to anyone else. Thanks to the Internet, this will be accomplished. ~ J.Jacobsen
Public Eye, CBS TV, 1/7/98 Since first attracting attention more than 30 years ago the tenets of Scientology have been reviled by critics and revered by supporters. Those same supporters have earned a fierce reputation for relentlessly using the courts to defend Scientology, ultimately gaining it tax exempt status as a recognized religion. In recent years, the church's profile has been enhanced by association with a variety of Hollywood stars, famous folks who have put a shining face on a self-styled church that's often clouded by secrecy and mistrust. All of which brings us to a lawsuit in Florida, a wrongful death suit that has pitted proponents of Scientology against the family of a young woman who died in the prime of her life. Kristin Jeannette-Meyers, herself a lawyer, details the sad end of Lisa McPherson... [complete archived transcript @ lisamcpherson.org]
RadarOnline [Oct.07.12] A dental hygienist has won $348,000 from her boss after she was forced to quit her job when he persistently demanded she attend a Scientology seminar.
Susan Muhleman's life was turned upside down after she refused to go to the three-day training session for life skills run by the controversial religion because it clashed with her Christian beliefs.
Dr. Andrew W. Engel, who had posters of science fiction writer and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in his Bend, Oregon office, threatened to fire Muhleman if she didn't go with her co-workers. [continued@radaronline]
Released: 69 pgs of Documents on Oregon Dentist Ordered to Pay $348,000
Susan Muhleman
[ortegaunderground] Tony Ortega contacted Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, and they sent
over the 69-page order in the case, which is chock-full of fascinating
detail about what dental hygienist Susan Muhleman went through when she
objected in 2009 to being pushed by Engel to attend a Silkin Management
Group symposium that October which would have instructed attendees in
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s “Tone Scale” and other Scientology
concepts.
As documents show, Muhleman had the presence of mind to do
Internet research on Silkin, Hubbard’s tone scale, and Scientology’s
incompatibility with her own faith, Christianity, before telling Engel
that she refused to attend the symposium. The state agency agreed with
her that she had every right to refuse, and its award is one of the
highest it has ever ordered. [continued@ortegaunderground]
Dentists, Consultants, Scientology, Oh-My!
Scientology’s business management front group, the World Institute of
Scientology Enterprises, or WISE, tends to target dentists,
chiropractors, and ophthalmologists for recruitment. Below are several stories on dentists that were introduced to Scientology via consulting companies and their experiences in attempting to leave.
Many dentists who have unwittingly been drawn into the cult are
filing or threatening lawsuits as well. Dentist Robert Geary of
Medina, Ohio, who entered a Sterling seminar in 1988, endured "the
most extreme high-pressure sales tactics I have ever faced."
Sterling
officials told Geary, 45, that their firm was not linked to
Scientology, he says. but Geary claims they eventually convinced him
that he and his wife Dorothy had personal problems that required
auditing.
Over five months, the Gearys say, they spent $130,000 for
services, plus $50,000 for "gold-embossed, investment-grade" books
signed by Hubbard. Geary contends that Scientologists not only called
his bank to increase his credit card limit but also forged his
signature on a $20,000 loan application. "It was insane," he recalls.
"I couldn't even get an accounting from them of what I was paying
for."
At one point, the Gearys claim, Scientologists held Dorothy
hostage for two weeks in a mountain cabin, after which she was
hospitalized for a nervous breakdown.
Sterling broke some bad news to another dentist,
Glover Rowe of Gadsden, Ala., and his wife Dee. Tests showed that
unless they signed up for auditing Glover's practice would fail, and
Dee would someday abuse their child.
The next month the Rowes flew to
Glendale, Calif., where they shuttled daily from a local hotel to a
Dianetics center.
"We thought they were brilliant people because they
seemed to know so much about us," recalls Dee. "Then we realized our
hotel room must have been bugged." After bolting from the center,
$23,000 poorer, the Rowes say, they were chased repeatedly by
Scientologists on foot and in cars.
Scientology's Sterling Group: Interview of Dentists Defrauded
1/26/00 - These two dentists from the Chicago area were defrauded by WISE and demanded a refund from the Church of Scientology. Expecting trouble in their attempt to get their money back from Scientology. They contacted the LMT (lisa mcpherson trust) in Clearwater, Fla. Mark Bunker flew to Chicago to do a video interview with them. (also, a back-story involving Scientology in that situation)
Scientology: "Speaking Freely" Chiropractors
Ed & Tera Hattaway explain to Mark Bunker in a 2000 interview how their lives were derailed after joining Scientology to help them succeed with their chiropractic business.
The Big List of former members of the Church of Scientology
that have spoken out publicly, has grown to over 1800, according to a list researched and compiled by Anonymous over the last few years. The list demonstrates that there is a
significant problem with organized Scientology and disproves their worn-out apologist line 'Just a few disgruntled apostates with axes to grind ' when someone leaves their organization.
The individuals on the list have spoken out under their real names
against the abuses seen and experienced within the so-called church
despite being subjected to Scientology’s “Fair Game” policy, which gives
members permission to destroy its critics. Most former members do not
ever speak out against the church, largely because of this policy.
The stories told by these ex-members are similar to the revelations made
recently by former members speaking out against Scientology in highly
visible stories in the New York Times, the St. Petersburg Times, a five-part series on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, the Village Voice, and
most recently, the Debbie Cook New Years Email (pdf).
The list, which continues to grow daily, contains many names of
individuals who no longer practice Scientology at all as well as many
others who do. What they have in common is that each of them has decided
to step forward and tell the world what happened during their time
within organized Scientology.
While their backgrounds vary widely, their
stories are similar and many themes run throughout: rigid control of
information, enforced disconnection from loved ones who are critical of
the group, zealous campaigns to squeeze money from members, physical and
emotional abuse of children and adults, slave labor camps designed to
reinforce indoctrination, and many other disturbing practices. The
problem is not limited to any particular country. Their compelling
stories emerge from numerous countries all around the world spanning
decades.
Anonymous now celebrates the compilation and publication of a 1800-strong list of human voices no longer silenced, and never again
alone. Documentation is provided for each name included in the list.
All remaining victims or observers of abuse within organized
Scientology are invited to speak out and add their names and their
messages. We hope that the courage shown by those named on this list empowers more people to come forward with their stories of abuse, and ultimately
prevents such abuses from ever taking place again.
Since February 2008, Anonymous has protested the crimes and abuses of
the “Church of Scientology” and its many front groups. These protests,
as well as public awareness efforts like the Big List, will continue.
big tip'o the mask to RightOn for keeping this project alive.
montrealgazette.com [Apr 19] ~ MONTREAL - Perhaps the lowest point in David Love’s “treatment” for
drug addiction at Narconon Trois Rivières was the five-hour sauna on his
25th day of five-hour saunas.
Being forced to yell at an ashtray
for hours on end – “Stand up, ashtray!” “Thank you.” “Sit back down,
ashtray!” – also left him confused and frustrated. But it was when Love
realized that the rehab centre inspired by the teachings of Scientology
was actually putting vulnerable addicts’ health at risk – and that he
had become a part of the machinery – that he decided to get out.
Then last Friday, 2½ years after Love began his campaign, public
health officials for the Mauricie region ordered Narconon to relocate
its 32 residents and told the organization they would not certify the
centre, because its approach was not recognized in this province, and
that its practices, including the saunas and massive doses of niacin,
were potentially putting patients’ health at risk.
Most of the
patients, from B.C. and other provinces as well as the United States,
have since been relocated to Narconon centres in the U.S.
As for
David Love, he remains drug-free since he left Narconon – but deeply
traumatized by what he saw and went through in Trois Rivières. [ cont. at montrealgazette.com ]
Canadian Health Board Slams Scientology Rehab
CBC Radio [Apr 18] - The Quebec Health Board "Slams" the Scientology Rehab,
Narconon, for exploiting desperate families by promising an 80% success
rate and placing patient's health in danger by forcing patients to
ingest toxic doses of vitamins in extreme, dangerous doses and not having
any qualified medical staff at Narconon Trois-Rivieres.
Upcoming Events: Canadian Investigators Probing Scientology
click for full size
[Apr 19] In an unofficial tip at WWP, David Love informs us that government investigators are acting on his complaint filed in February of 2011 with the Board of Human Rights Commission.
Even though NN TR [Narconon Trois Rivières] is now closed, Government investigators are now pushing forward in
an unexpected (by me), move. Incredible how these events are "mushrooming".~ David Love
Mentioned in the complaint, Exploitation of a Handicap is Narconon Trois Rivières, Church of Scientology - Montreal, Narconon Canada, Narconon International, ABLE Canada including directors and corporate entities, along with the current leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige. Will post updates as the events unfold.
thedenverchannel.com ~ After just two hours of deliberation, an Adams County jury found Rev.Rex Fowler guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of his former business partner. Fowler, 59, was immediately sentenced to life in prison.
The fact that Fowler shot and killed Thomas Ciancio was never in dispute. What was in dispute was whether the act was deliberate and pre-planned. Prosecutors argued the fact that Ciancio was shot three times in the face could not be an accident -- it was an execution.
"Mr. Fowler waited until (Ciancio) signed that separation agreement before he took his life. Looked him right in the eye when he pulled that first trigger. He shot him right in the face! What does that tell you about deliberation?" prosecutor Dave Young asked the jury during closing arguments in the trial.
The defense argued that Fowler went to the office that day, armed with a gun, to kill himself.
"We're not trying to justify it. (Ciancio's) death is a tragedy but it is not first-degree murder," said Sarah Quinn, one of Fowler's two defense attorneys. "(Fowler's) only plan was to take his own life. No intent. No deliberation. It was just a tragic reaction by Mr. Fowler."
The jury had to decide if Fowler was guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder. District Court Judge Francis Wasserman dismissed defense requests to include crime of passion and other lesser offenses in the jury instructions.
Ciancio died Dec. 30, 2009 while he went to the office to collect a severance check from Fowler Software Design. Ciancio had decided to leave the company after the founder, 58-year-old Rex Fowler, had diverted $175,000 in company funds to Fowler's church, the Church of Scientology.
He and Fowler, the founder of the company, were the only two people inside the lower-level office near 84th Avenue and Interstate 25 that day.
Young and a fellow prosecutor waved a replica handgun during closing arguments to demonstrate the actions they allege Fowler took in putting three bullets into Ciancio's head. "If you fire three shots into someone's head it is your intent to kill," said prosecutor Yvette Werner.
"It is your conscious objective for them to be dead. (The defense) wants you to believe it was ... what? 'Oops! Oops! Oops!'" she said pointing a replica gun towards wall."Does that make any sense to you? Of course not."
Earlier Friday, Dr. James Wilkerson IV told the jury Ciancio had been shot "within two feet" -- and two of the shots were to the back of the head. [more...]
William Rex Fowler: $200K Scientology donor found guilty of murdering Thomas Ciancio
blogs.westword.com ~ An Adams County District judge is trying to keep Scientology from overwhelming the William Rex Fowler murder trial, even though Fowler's software company was reportedly in trouble because he gave around $200,000 to the sect. But that hasn't prevented anti-Scientology forums from linking the object of their derision to the late 2009 slaying of Thomas Ciancio, Fowler's ex-partner. [more...]
KUSA-TV News9 - Man charged in shooting death of former business partner
Background of stories above. Aired: 1/22/10
11 Scientologists Indicted in Theft of Gov't Documents
[reprint from Lewiston Daily Sun image]
AUG.14.78 (Washington) ~ A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted 11 members of the Church of Scientology, including the wife of the church's founder, on charges of stealing government documents and bugging government offices.
Named in the indictment was Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of L. Ron Hubbard, founder and head of the church.
The government's case is based in part on the FBI's raid on July 8, 1977, of the church's offices in Washington and Los Angeles in which hundreds of thousands of documents were seized.
In the indictment Tuesday, the government charged that the Scientologists planted agents in the government to find out about investigations of the church.
For example, the indictment charged that for one month in 1976, Sharon Thomas, an alleged agent of the church, stole documents from the office of Paul Figley, an attorney with the Justice Department's civil division.
The Scientologists have said they made copies of government documents, after being refused the material under the Freedom of Information Act, in order to counteract what they claim has been a government campaign of harassment begun more than 20 years ago. The indictment charged that another Scientology agent, Gerald Bennett Wolfe, who the indictment says was also known as "Silver" and "Kelly", infiltrated the Internal Revenue Service as a clerk.
The indictment charged that the Scientologists planted an electronic eavesdropping device in an IRS conference room in 1974 and recorded a meeting that dealt with the Scientologists' application for tax-exempt status.
The government's case also relies in part on the cooperation of a former church official, Michael Meisner, who was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment.
The other church members who were charged in the indictment are:
Jane Kember of Sussex, England; Morris Budlong of Sussex; the Rev. Henning Heldt of Los Angeles, who heads an arm of the church known as the Guardian office; Duke Snider of Hollywood, Calif., head of the church's information bureau;
click for more @ LA Times
Also, Richard Weigand of Van Nuys, Calif.; Gregory Willardson of Beverly Hills, Calif.; and Mitchell Hermann of Hollywood, Calif.;, all former members of the church's staff; and Cindy Raymond of Hollywood Calif., a current staff member.
The defendants face up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines on several charges, which include conspiracy, obstruction of justice, lying to a grand jury and illegal bugging.
The indictment came as no surprise, since the Scientologists themselves said last month that they expected formal charges against at least 10 members of the church after courts had ruled that the documents seized in the church raids could be used as evidence.
Today marks the 15th anniversary of Lisa McPherson's death (February 10, 1959 – December 5, 1995). xenutv.com ~ Lisa was a devoted Scientologist for many years. In late 1995, she indicated to family and friends that she would be coming home to Texas. She never made it home. Instead, Lisa spent her last days confined in Scientology’s Fort Harrison Hotel.
During those 17 days, Lisa was undergoing a psychotic breakdown while under constant guard by Scientology staffers who tried to handle her with Hubbard policies. By the time they rushed her to a hospital it was too late. She had lost 40 pounds and was severely dehydrated. Lisa was pronounced dead on arrival.
Lisa's case is a good representation of the many people harmed or even killed by Scientology. Her case is well documented from court proceedings, Scientology documents, and good reporting. It's also a case that DM [David Miscavige] himself had a direct hand in, according to Marty Rathbun.
lisamcpherson.org averages about 250 visitors per day. There are many other sites that tell her story as well, so her life is remembered. Lisa's family wanted her story to be told so her fate would not happen to anyone else. Thanks to the Internet, this will be accomplished. ~ J.Jacobsen
Public Eye, CBS TV, 1/7/98 Since first attracting attention more than 30 years ago the tenets of Scientology have been reviled by critics and revered by supporters. Those same supporters have earned a fierce reputation for relentlessly using the courts to defend Scientology, ultimately gaining it tax exempt status as a recognized religion. In recent years, the church's profile has been enhanced by association with a variety of Hollywood stars, famous folks who have put a shining face on a self-styled church that's often clouded by secrecy and mistrust. All of which brings us to a lawsuit in Florida, a wrongful death suit that has pitted proponents of Scientology against the family of a young woman who died in the prime of her life. Kristin Jeannette-Meyers, herself a lawyer, details the sad end of Lisa McPherson... [complete archived transcript @ lisamcpherson.org]
[reprint from Evening Independent Editorial image] Scientology isn't 'just another church'
Evening Independent Editorial / ISSUE: Scientology's New Claim
DEC.11.1985 (St. Petersburg) ~ Scientology takes the offensive. Its new program to sugar-coat its acidic past maintains that the organization is "just another church". The campaign to revise Scientology's checkered history may as well seek to make Spiro Agnew just another lawyer.
In Clearwater, Scientology operatives say they only want to be neighbors. Residents can be forgiven if they are more than a bit leery of such gratuitous claims. Clearwater residents, who have been remarkably tolerant of Scientology's headquarters, know the organization is anything but just another church. No other Pinellas religious organization has such a record:
• Criminality among leaders. In 1979 and 1980, nine Scientology leaders were found guilty of obstruction of justice in the burglary, bugging and planting of agents in US government offices. The third wife of Scientology founder L.Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue, was among those convicted. Hubbard remains reclusive and has not answered several court summonses. Courts have been asked to declare him dead and have refused.
• Dirty tricks. Scientology has engaged in a series of ruses and schemes in the country and elsewhere. It used nefarious tactics against former mayor, Gabe Cazares. It sought to entrap federal judge Ben Krentzman. It hired private investigators to pose as European investors and lured some Clearwater officials onto a yacht to discuss a phony proposal to invest in the city's downtown.
• Prone to lawsuits. History will surely find Scientology the most litigious group ever to pretend to be a religion. Often it sues its critics promptly, and thereby discourages further criticism.
• Front organizations.Several outfits have been created under various names to promote Scientology services. Recognized churches provide ministries and proudly use their real names in delivering the services. Scientology uses cover names as it misrepresents the fronts' real purpose, the recruitment of new members.
• Secret operations. Its records remain secret, it's leader's [Hubbard] whereabouts secret, it's tactics secret. Scientology deals in stealth.
• Unrecognized religious status [as of date of printing] The US Tax Court in September 1984 ruled that the California Church of Scientology was not tax exempt " because it operated for a substantial commercial purpose and because its net earnings benefit L.Ron Hubbard."
Earlier in 1984, an English justice, Sir John Latey, ruled that Scientology " is corrupt because it is bad on lies and deceit ... It is sinister because it indulges in infamous practices ... dangerous because it is out to capture people (and) for those of us old enough to remember, it is grimly reminiscent of the rantings and bullyings of Hitler and his henchmen."
• Commercial nature. The US Tax Court noted Scientology's "highly commercial nature, it's high annual profits and its substantial, undedicated cash reserves." The same court found that "one of its articulated goals was to make money." The first tenet of the church's "Governing Policy of Finance" formulated in 1972 was: "A. MAKE MONEY."
Only in Scientology are you told you can't enjoy the benefits of its religious exercises until you pay. Pay now, get an E-Meter later. This contrasts sharply with the religious tradition of extending services and rites and the seeking donations. Scientology called its fees for religious services "fixed donations", but they were clearly not donations but payments for services rendered, the tax court said. "Its very own worksheets do not refer to these amounts as donations but have a separate account entitled (true) 'donations' for charitable contributions."
Last month, Scientology pleaded for protections in a court on the basis that its teachings were secret under the US Trade Secrets Act, set up to protect businesses. A federal district court ruled that Scientology's secrets are the same as a private company's secrets.
But the organization is embarked on a new campaign, flush from the overturning of a $39-million fraud judgment against it in another suit. We shall all hear more of the claim that Scientology is just another church. We dare not accept it.
Evening Independent, St. Petersburg, Florida Neil Skene, Editor / Michael Richardson, A.Editor / John Costa, M.Editor
LMT: Mike McClaughry Ex-GO on Scientology's Fair Game Policy Mike McClaughry' blog ~ There is a missing segment of my video interviews that I did at the Lisa McPherson Trust (discussing Scientology's intelligence service, the Guardians Office or GO). I retrieved the missing segment from the Internet Archive, and uploaded it to my youtube account. I also discuss the Fair Game practice of the Church of Scientology in this segment I uploaded.
Nov.27.1980 (WASHINGTON DC) ~ Two high-ranking members of the Church of Scientology were convicted of burglary charges Wednesday in what the government called a widespread scheme by the church to infiltrate government offices and steal documents.
The two church members, who had been extradited earlier this year from England, were accused of ordering subordinates in Washington DC to infiltrate offices of the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department with aims of copying or stealing documents.
The controversial church has been locked in a long battle with the IRS over its tax status. A church spokesman called the convictions "an obvious vendetta" by the government.
Last December nine other members of the church, including Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of the church's founder, were found guilty of obstruction of justice and sentenced to prison terms in connection with the same alleged scheme.
Jane Kember, who is a British citizen, and Morrison Budlong, an American, stood silently and showed little emotion as the jury foreman pronounced them guilty on all nine counts of aiding and abetting burglary.
Both defendants remain free on bail while awaiting sentencing and pending a probable appeal. The nine other church members are also free on bail pending appeal of their convictions.
US District Judge Aubrey E. Robinson set the sentencing date for Dec. 19.
During the month-long trial in US District Court, Mrs. Kember and Budlong claimed they had nothing to do with the efforts by Washington-based church members to steal IRS and Justice Department documents, saying they were more than 3,000miles away.
The prosecution, however, presented to the jurors church documents and letters between the England headquarters and Washington DC office showing what the government claimed was "a common scheme and plan" showing that the two church leaders knew of, and in fact at times ordered, the thefts. They also produced a former church member, Michael Meisner, who testified that he was certain the two defendants condoned the infiltration schemes.
Dept of Justice Washington DC
Last December, two church members received prison terms after being convicted of stealing documents in federal agencies where they worked.
Sharon Thomas was convicted of taking records from the Justice Department, where she was employed as a secretary, and Gerald B. Wolfe was convicted of stealing documents while employed as a clerk-typist at the IRS. Mrs. Kember and Budlong declined to talk to reporters as they left the courtroom.
A church spokesman, Joseph Burgess, issued a statement accusing the Justice Department of "an obvious vendetta" in its pursuit of the case. "These defendants were prosecuted only because they challenged and sought to expose the Internal Revenue Service's unconstitutional activities ranging from false dossiers and intimidation to secret enemies lists.They were prosecuted because they fought back, " the statement said.
Meanwhile, Judge Robinson ordered three of the nine church members convicted last December to preform 300 hours of community service work as a result of a contempt ruling against them.
Mike McClaughry: Guardian's Office 2/05/2000
[9 videos ~ 40:45 min] Mike McClaughry, former GO agent relates his experience in Scientology's intelligence office, the Guardian Office (GO) [transcript] [playlist 9 videos]
• Narconon Vista Called Front for Scientology
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (CN) - A father claims Narconon International and the Association for Living and Education International are fronts for Scientology, and that he paid them $35,500 for "essentially worthless treatment" for his drug-addicted son. He says the groups run rehab programs "to enrich themselves and to provide a recruit base for the Church of Scientology rather than to provide competent treatment for chemical dependency."
David Compton sued the two companies, and Narconon Vista, alleging fraud and breach of contract. He wants his money back and $1 million in punitive damages.
"The conduct of defendants is pervasive and plaintiff and his son are not the first victims of the conduct of defendants," the complaint states. "Defendants are engaged in a scheme or plan to enrich themselves and to provide a recruit base for the Church of Scientology rather than to provide competent treatment for chemical dependency. As such, their actions are intended to inflict harm upon the persons entering their programs while obtaining large sums of money for essentially worthless treatment. Such pattern of conduct has resulted in harm not just to plaintiff and his son but many other families who have been traumatized by actions of defendants." [ more → ]
• Narconon Trois-Rivières, Canada
(Trois-Rivières) The Narconon Trois-Rivières detoxification centre, suspected of links with the Church of Scientology, once again finds itself in the middle of a controversy. This time, it's the public statements made over the weeked by a former patient who became an employee of the organization that have brought the subject back into the news.
David Edgar Love, a 57-year-old man from the Montreal area, has just filed a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission as well as with the Quebec Labour Standards Commission . Both commissions are currently investigating the matter.
The former Narconon employee says he is suffering from post-traumatic stress since leaving the centre in May 2009. Harassment and threats are alleged to have been daily occurrences at the Parent Boulevard establishment.[ more → ]
• David Edgar Love vs Narconon Trois-Rivieres
Court hearing date is set for January 17th, 2011. Click here to read his brief summary.
Narconon Fudges Numbers Love also adds: "...All of my examinations and calculations indicated that the advertised and promoted success rate was far below 70%. In fact it was approximately 46% using Narconon’s own computer data.
This 46% success rate represents post graduates only and does not take into account the patients who did not complete the program. It also does not include post graduate staff members who relapsed, which were several in the past two years. When taking the aforesaid into account, the Success Rate falls far below 20%.
The high “success rate”, which every Narconon in the world claims, is what I consider the key to Narconon’s ability to make money and fill Scientology’s coffers.
It is this advertised and promoted high success rate, which lures the unsuspecting and vulnerable public into this Narconon program of exploitation. These people have a high expectation of success, which is clearly a misrepresentation..." [ more → ]
• Do Your Homework
Before investing a small fortune in drug rehabilitation for yourself or a loved one, do your homework. Remember, Narconon is not affiliated with the legitimate organization Narcotics Anonymous. Visit narconon-exposed.org, ripoff report / narconon and WWP's Narconon Situation Room thread for more stateside/international information and/or horror stories.
• David Love/Narconon Scam Interview
Tampa Florida, WXYB 1520AM 'The Edge' with host, Tom Smith [58 min]
(update: video cannot be embedded in US. click here to watch on RuTube)
Is This Worth $30,000.00?
Before you sign on the dotted line, take a peek at what you're getting yourself into. Yep, it's L.Ron Hubbard's Scientology. Click the links below to view/download leaked PDFs.
May.20.1979 (LONDON) ~ The United States, attempting to extradite two Church of Scientology leaders from Great Britain, charges them with ordering US sect members to infiltrate government departments in Washington DC and steal documents, an attorney says.
Attorney David Tudor Price, representing the United States at extradition hearings here, alleged the two sect leaders - 30 year old Tampa native Morrison Budlong and British citizen Mrs. Jane Kember, born in Nairobi, Kenya - set in motion a plan that led to burglaries of the Washington DC offices of the Internal Revenue Service And the Justice Department.
Charges against them include aiding and abetting the theft of US government property, obstruction of justice, making a false declaration before a grand jury and aiding and abetting burglary.
IRS Building Washington DC
Both are wanted in the United States to stand trial along with nine other Church of Scientology members on a total of 28 charges.
Tudor Price said in court last week that the actions against the IRS and Justice Department were ordered after sect members claimed to have discovered Interpol documents about L.Ron Hubbard, who founded the organization in the United States in 1954. Interpol is the Paris-based international police organization.
Aides to Hubbard, who moved his world headquarters to suburban London in the late 1960s, say the cult is the largest mental health organization and describe its goals as the establishment of "better conditions for man and society and to create a civilization without war, criminalization and insanity."
The group claims to have more than 5 million members worldwide, including 3.5 million in the United States and more than 300,000 in Britain.
Tudor Price claims Mrs. Kember was known as "Guardian Worldwide" and controlled an operations center in East Grinstead in southern England.
Tudor Price said Mrs. Kember sent a letter in November, 1973, to "the deputy guardian in the United States telling that her (Mrs. Kember's) office had obtained Interpol documents concerning the affairs of Ron Hubbard," instructing the deputy to get hold of other documents and left it "to him how to do so."
July.09.1977 (WASHINGTON) ~ The government accused the Church of Scientology on Friday of carrying out a wide-range and partly successful plot to infiltrate the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service and to steal hundreds of confidential government documents.
The FBI, acting on a search warrant and an affidavit detailing the allegations, raided church offices in Washington DC and Los Angeles to recover the allegedly stolen documents and to obtain any other evidence of the alleged conspiracy.
The US attorney's office in Washington DC is considering whether to bring criminal charges against church officials, a department source said.
A federal magistrate issued a search warrant on the strength of an FBI agent's sworn affidavit describing evidence primarily obtained from Michael Meisner, a former high-ranking church official who allegedly supervised covert operations until he was arrested and decided to cooperate with federal investigators.
The affidavit said Meisner is being held in protective custody at his request because he and federal officials fear for his safety.
Scientology doctrine "requires the church attack and destroy it's enemies ... and those like Meisner who leave the church," the affidavit said.
Church officials in Los Angeles, at one point, held Meisner under "house arrest," gagged and in handcuffs to prevent him from returning to Washington DC after a series of meetings with church officials in Los Angeles, the affidavit said.
On June 20, Meisner called the US attorney's office in Washington DC to say he had escaped from church officials and wished to return to face criminal charges and "cooperate in the on-going investigation," the affidavit continued.
Based on Meisner's statements and other evidence, the government said "there is probable cause to believe that from 1974 through 1976, officials of the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles and Washington DC conspired to steal documents from the government" by burglarizing federal offices.
In addition, the church planted one of its members as a clerk in the Internal Revenue Service and another as a secretary in the office of a Justice Department lawyer, the affidavit said.
Those two alleged undercover agents for the church stole scores of documents from government files, duplicated them, kept the copies in church offices, the affidavit said.
The Church of Scientology, founded in the 1950s by L.Ron Hubbard who continues as its highest officer, has become controversial for its tactics in recruiting members through what some consider hard-sell techniques.
Some former members have said the church goes to extreme lengths to prevent its disciples from renouncing the church.
IRS Building Washington DC
The church has brought a half-dozen lawsuits against the IRS, the FBI and other goverment agencies alleging that church officials were the victims of improper government surveillance and harassment.
Some of the suits concern the church's efforts to obtain government documents dealing with Scientology under the Freedom of Information Act. Thousands of documents have been turned over to the church to comply with the act.
But the affidavit by FBI agent Robert Tittle said the lawsuits were part of a strategy directed first against the IRS and later against the Justice Department.
In early 1974, Jane Kember, a church official known as the "Guardian World Wide," ordered "an all-out attack on the Internal Revenue Service which was to include the filing of lawsuits, a public relations assault as well as the actual infiltration of the IRS by agents of the church," the affidavit said.
As Guardian World Wide, Kember is based in East Grinstead, Sussex, England.
Before you sign on the dotted line, take a peek at what you're getting yourself into. Yep, it's L.Ron Hubbard's Scientology. Click the links below to view/download leaked PDFs.
