Scientology Crime Boss David Miscavige speaks at the Grand Opening of the Chicago Ideal Org in 2024. This venture appears to have been largely financed by Joe Cecala Jr. and his family. 

From a recently filed 990, we learn that it cost David Miscavige $345,358 to yank his ribbon at the 2024 Ideal Org Grand Opening. We detail the expenses below as they show an apparent change in Scientology’s slave labor wage program.

Recent reports state that Scientologist Joe Cecala substantially funded the Chicago Ideal Org in exchange for his son being made its Executive Director.

The newly released 990 was published just as Scientologist Joe Cecala and his Dream Exchange face an active SEC investigation. We’ve seen this movie before with the Scientologist-owned GPB Capital: an SEC probe, then an SEC civil complaint against the New York private-equity firm, followed by large-scale FBI search warrants at GPB’s headquarters and its waste-management affiliate. To be clear, we’re not predicting identical events at Dream Exchange; our point is that SEC investigations can cascade into criminal exposure.

After we published our first article on Cecala and Dream Exchange—and the Wall Street Journal followed—OSA promptly posted a Freedom Magazine hate page smearing WSJ reporter Kevin Dugan and our dear wife, Karen. In our view, the speed, vitriolic tone, and typically hysterical rage of these attacks clearly indicate David Miscavige’s panic of losing control of the Dream Exchange and Chicago Org situation. Miscavige has reasons to worry, and we are well ahead of what OSA—and Miscavige—currently understand.

According to our sources, Joe Cecala allegedly told staff members he had ties to organized crime. This is an allegation we are looking into. 

During our early reporting on GPB Capital Holdings, we presented evidence showing that GPB Capital’s initial funding was provided by the daughters of the Russian oligarch Michael Chernaya, the alleged boss of the Ismailovskaya crime family in Moscow.  Chernaya lives in exile in Israel due an Interpol warrant for his arrest. In the 1980’s Chernaya shared an apartment in Moscow with Vladimir Putin’s cousin.

See: Windy City Thetan’s excellent research on Joe Cecala Jr. 

The Chicago 2023 990 was filed by the OTC Chicago, which is the OT Committee in 2023. The document is revealing as it shows what Scientology Crime Boss Miscavige spent for a one-day photo op in which he does his trademark ribbon pull at a Grand Opening of an Ideal Org.

David Miscavige yanks his ribbon in public in the Windy City. Behind him is Joey Cecala, the son of Joe Cecala Jr., founder of Dream Exchange. In the rain of confetti, we can see also David Miscavige, Tom Cummins, Joe Cecala Jr., looks like Nancy Cartwright, and Jim Bridgeforth with other unidentifiable randos.

Miscavige’s ribbon pull comes after his bloviating speech, whereupon he and his selected coterie of Scientologist sycophants and perhaps one or two local dignitaries pull the ribbon to open the Org. The ribbon pull is followed by confetti cannons and a balloon release. A balloon release and confetti cannons are generally used to grand open car dealerships and restaurants in strip malls, but Miscavige likes it as well. It so garish to release balloons and fire off confetti. The Vatican would certainly never engage in this type of Cult Carnival. 

The 990 tells us that the OTC Chicago was lead by Scientologist and chiropractor Dr. William Pollack. The job of the OTC was get the Chicago Ideal Org staff trained and the building ready to open:

The Summary contains language we have never seen:

Support exist(ing) Church of Scientology staff with their expenses, enabling them to remain on staff.

This is an admission in writing that Scientology Chicago had to provide financial assistance to Org staff that enabled them to remain on staff.

Scientology admits in this 990 that Hubbard’s unworkable slave labor wage system drives Scientology staff members to leave staff. Therefore, at least in Chicago, the Org is providing financial assistance so that staff do not quit. This is a remarkable admission. 

Because the Org had zero income pre-opening, the Chicago Org staff still had to eat. Lines 4A, 4B, and 4C of the 990 show how much money was needed to get the staff trained and the costs of the grand opening:

Line 4A: Chicago Org staff were subsidized by donations of $145,258 during their training period. Line 4A states that the funds did not include the costs of training or lodging. Therefore, if staff were sent to Flag, they Org, or someone, had to pay Flag for training and lodging of what are called “Outer Org” staff members, i.e. staff members that are not contracted to any of the many Orgs at Flag Land Base. 

LIne 4B: The actual Grand Opening where Miscavige yanked his ribon while confetti cannons fired and balloons ascended upwards to Target 2 at a cost $101,139.

An Org has to pay all of David Miscavige’s expenses to its Grand Opening. This typically includes Miscavige’s chartering a Boeing Business Jet which is a 737 reconfigured for luxury travel by an executive and their staff. As we observed in Portland, Miscavige rents two armored SUVs’ for himself and staff. The SUV’s come with an armed security detail. Two armored SUVs’ are needed as one is a decoy. No one can know which of the heavily tinted SUV’s Miscavige is in. Luxury hotel expenses are also paid for Miscavige and his staff as none of them would ever even think of sleeping on a triple bunk bed in a crowded Sea Org berthing space. 

Line 4C: This line is extremely interesting as it shows that Chicago Org staff “requiring financial assistance” were provided that assistance in the amount of $92,400. Added to line 4A, Chicago Org staff required financial support totaling $237,658 prior to the grand opening. 

Following the grand opening, one wonders if the Chicago Org ever generated sufficient income to pay expenses: ultities; building maintenance; royalties uplines to RTC and CST; management fees to CSI; purchase required book stocks to Bridge Publications; promo; staff pay;etc.

The 990: