Flag Land Base

Scientology Infighting: St. Hill Using the Weak British Pound to Compete with US Orgs

Thanks to our source who sent us this advertisement from Scientology’s St. Hill Advanced Org (AOSH UK) in England. St. Hill is sending this piece to US Scientologists in attempt to lure them away from American Orgs.

St. Hill is using the weakness of the British Pound against the US Dollar to attract American Scientologists away from Flag and other US Orgs. The message is simple:

Come to St. Hill where it is 20% cheaper to audit your BT’s!

This shameless poaching of American Scientologists by St. Hill tells me five things:

1. The stats at St. Hill have crashed through the basement floor and so it has now made a move on American Scientologists by offering them Scientology services on the cheap.

2. David Miscavige has obviously approved this cutthroat competition between Orgs on different continents as international stats have crashed. So long as money comes in, Miscavige doesn’t care where it comes from.

3. Flag and the other American AO’s are powerless to do anything about St. Hill actively working to steal their customers.

4. St. Hill can brag that it is “Ron’s home” because it was Ron’s home. Of course, Ron Hubbard made the Church of Scientology buy it from him for an exorbitant sum. Indeed, Ron made a fortune dumping St. Hill onto the Church. The Church then had to pay for all of the badly-needed improvements Ron didn’t pay for when the place belonged to him. So, yes, why not audit at the manor where Ron lived for eight years?

5. St. Hill is not saying the quality of services it delivers is superior to American Orgs. Rather, St. Hill is only saying its services are cheaper.

My prediction: Flag will react by offering 25% discounts on package deals to compete with St. Hill.

*****

That Scientology Orgs are trying to steal each other’s customers show the invisible hand of the market at work. The market forces of Capitalism are now at play within Scientology. Price erosion may begin to occur as the Orgs compete with each other. However, this will prove to be intolerable in the long run for David Miscavige.

Thus Scientology seems to be coming to a fork in the road. Will the Church become Monastery Scientology, an exclusive club where only the very wealthy are allowed? Or will price erosion occur to the extent that Scientology becomes a discount retailer like Wal-Mart?

My bet is, and always has been, on Monastery Scientology.

When push comes to shove, Scientology is designed to accommodate a small base of wealthy members who love status and elitism. Scientology was never designed for downstat and degraded wog trash who actually have to live on a budget.

Scientologist Michael Holstein & The Panama Papers

The image above is from 2007 and was published in a Scientology magazine I received in the US mail many years ago. I posted several photos of Sea Org members contained in the magazine at xenu.net in a thread entitled David Miscavige’s Other Golden Boys.

According to this image above, Scientologist Michael Holstein was a European businessman who joined the Sea Org. Holstein was appointed the Solo NOTs Director of Processing at Flag. This is an extremely high pressure position in which one gets yelled at constantly by seniors for improved stars.

The Scientology Money Project is researching Mr. Holstein as his name appears along with that of Scientology billionaire Bob Duggan in the Panama Papers. In the relational map below, Michael Holstein is listed as a shareholder of a company called Genuine First Aid International. Also shown is Iraqi Scientologist Ali Shawkat who, along with his father Mudhar Shawkat — a former member of Parliament in Iraq — sold an Iraqi telecom company for $140,000,000 and moved the money out of Iraq. $14,000,000 of this money was invested in Scientologist Matt Feshbach’s Okyanos Heart Institute in The Bahamas. Feshbach sold, or otherwise transferred the company’s assets depending upon the different versions of changes of ownership we uncovered, and is no longer associated with Okyanos. Ali Shawkat also donated $5,000,000 to the IAS.

The scope of our research project is to examine where Michael Holstein fits into Bob Duggan’s financial empire. The diagram shows Duggan as a shareholder and Director of Genuine First Aid International — a company that has connections Amman, Jordan. Yet another Panama Papers diagram shows Robert Duggan to be a shareholder of a company called Spang CM Ltd. This diagram shows additional connections to the Cayman Islands and the Appleby Trust:

Michael Holstein is shown as the CEO of Genuine First Aid International of Fujian, China:

The connections between Duggan, Spang, Genuine First Aid International, and China are shown in the Panama Papers:

We learn at LinkedIn that Michael Holstein was apparently moved from his position as CEO of Genuine First Aid International in China to Operations Manager and transferred to Tampa:

What year did Michael Holstein leave the Sea Org and become part of what appears to be a “Scientology Money Club” that spans the globe? The locations of Scientology-owned businesses and offshore assets include, but are not limited to the following countries:

China
The Cayman Islands
Amman, Jordan
Venezuela
Iraq
United States
Canada
The Bahamas
The United Kingdom
Colombia
Taiwan

Michael Holstein’s Scientology Completions are published online:

Cult Paradox: Why Scientology Is Collapsing As a Function of Its Burgeoning Real Estate Empire

The Church of Scientology is so heavily entrenched in Downtown Clearwater that it has become harmful to the community. Scientology does not pay taxes on its huge portfolio of tax-exempt properties in Clearwater and yet demands police and fire services, uses the roads, freeways, and other public infrastructure. Worse, Scientology has driven businesses, redevelopment, and tourism dollars out of Downtown Clearwater, thus further depressing the economy and tax base of Clearwater. In 2017, Scientology even announced its brazen plans for what amounted to a hostile corporate takeover of Downtown Clearwater. The details are quite alarming as can be seen in an excellent and highly detailed article by Tracy McManus of The Tampa Bay Times.

Compounding matters, John P. Capitalist recently noted that many public Scientologists are moving out of Clearwater, Florida to escape the never-ending onslaught of Scientology regges. In Scientology “registrars” are called “regges” and are actually salespeople. All across Scientology, the regges demand donations on a daily basis. It is very bad in Clearwater and Los Angeles where the largest concentrations of Scientologists live. John P. wrote of the public Scientologists in Clearwater:

…I’ve heard from several sources that a number of longtime members have moved out [of Clearwater] in order to avoid visits from desperate “regges” in the middle of the night ringing the doorbell and demanding cash. They’re claiming to be moving for innocuous reasons like “to be closer to the grandkids,” but apparently they’re just tired of the stress and want to deal with the cult from a distance. It’s not clear how many people are making the move, but even a few sure makes it sound like the rank-and-file (all those dentists, chiropractors and small business owners) are reaching a saturation point.

It is quite true that Scientology regges do show up unannounced at any hour of the day or night at the homes and businesses of public Scientologists to demand money. I personally know dozens of former Scientologists to whom this happened. In many cases, when the public Scientologists refused to answer their front door, the rampaging regges went into backyards and beat on the patio doors in an attempt to flush their quarry from hiding. Deplorable conduct but it is nevertheless true.

As Scientology regges are usually Sea Org members, public Scientologists who treat them rudely or object to their intrusive tactics can get in very serious trouble with the Church for doing so. These salespeople are deemed to be helping “Clear the Planet” and so their unwanted intrusions are considered justified by Church management. For this reason, public Scientologists have taken to refusing to answer their doors and have stopped answering their phones as a means to avoid the greedy Scientology fundraisers. These hapless public Scientologists choose to hide as they know the regges have complete immunity to engage in predatory and intrusive tactics that include invading the privacy and sanctity of one’s own home.

John P.’s observation of the flight of public Scientologists from Clearwater led me to create this simplified graph and the accompanying commentary:

J. Swift’s Scientology Real Estate Axiom #1: The more real estate the Cult of Scientology owns in a given area, the more public Scientologists will flee the area, refuse to accept regging phone calls, attend regging briefings, or accept unannounced and intrusive home regging visits. This “Public Scientologist Money Flight” occurs as a function of an ever-increasing number of Scientology fundraising personnel occupying buildings that contain competing Orgs, Scientology front groups, and Scientology fundraising programs.

In practice, each new piece of Scientology real estate becomes a standalone business operating unit within the Scientology corporate structure. These standalone operating units are called “Orgs” or “Social Betterment Groups” and each has its own weekly fundraising quotas. Scientology also has fundraising programs for both current and planned programs. These fundraising activities also have weekly financial quotas. All of these separate business operating units result in intense competition within Scientology for a shrinking pool of donations.

TAX EXEMPT STATUS + ENDLESS FUNDRAISING = SCIENTOLOGY REAL ESTATE EMPIRE

As a condition of receiving tax exemption, US tax law requires religious tax exempt organizations to spend money in the public benefit. For example, if Catholic churches provide free services to the homeless this is seen as helping to reduce the tax burden on the US Government. Hence, tax exemption is viewed as a form of exchange. L. Ron Hubbard, however, taught that giving anyone anything for free was wrong. Hubbard said charity was “rewarding a downstat” as it rewarded people for doing nothing. Hubbard’s 1950’s view of poverty was that poor people were lazy; did not want to work; were worthless; and only wanted free welfare checks and handouts.

Hubbard’s 1950 view of poverty became Scientology doctrine. Given Scientology’s doctrinal refusal to engage in charity, the only things Scientology can actually spend its money on are real estate, self-promotion, and financing its perpetual state of warfare with those people and groups it deems enemies. This spending plan results in the Scientology we see today: A self-aggrandizing, angry, paranoid, and hostile cultic group characterized by its bloated real estate holdings and its insane and lavishly-financed wars against former members, critics, the media, and those governments that oppose Scientology and correctly see it as a for-profit business.

THE PARADOX IN WHICH THE SCIENTOLOGY CULT IS TRAPPED

The endless purchasing of real estate by Scientology is paradoxically and ultimately self-destructive as it acts to exponentially increase fundraising pressures amongst competing Scientology business units while simultaneously driving membership and donations out of the Church. Scientology incessantly boasts that the growth in square footage it owns proves Scientology is growing. However, this is a misdirection. While Scientology’s real estate portfolio is indeed growing, the Cult quietly sweeps the real story of its shocking membership decline under the rug.

Scientology’s Ideal Org program was a debacle which proved that the more real estate Scientology purchases and accumulates, the fewer members it will have. The Ideal Org scam drove untold thousands of people out of Scientology due to incessant fundraising demands. Likewise, the Basics book campaign was a giant $100,000,000+ cynical money grab that saw legions of people leave Scientology.

The pointless accumulation of real estate by Scientology is a function of its tax exemption and L. Ron Hubbard’s policy that endless fundraising must occur. What Hubbard called “new money” must be brought into the Scientology each week. The smallest possible portion of this “new money” is spent paying expenses. Hubbard mandated that the remaining money be locked away in untouchable reserves. Hubbard purposely designed Scientology to generate large cash reserves. This is why Scientology’s main focus is on money. Because the IRS does not allow excessive capital accumulation by tax exempt entities, however, Scientology spends part of its reserves on the items described above.

Scientology also spends the minimum amount of money possible on its Sea Org labor force. Sea Org members live far below the US poverty level of $13,860 in annual income for an individual. Legally speaking, Sea Org members are not employees and are classed as religious volunteers. As such, they receive a meager weekly stipend of $50, usually less, plus room and board. Scientology’s goal is to spend the least possible amount of money on Sea Org members while demanding the maximum amount of production. Sea Org members routinely work 80-100 hours per week. A Sea Org work week is six and one half days in duration. One half day is given to do laundry and clean one’s berthing area. Scientology’s slave labor program also applies to the child labor Scientology uses in the Sea Org.

FLAG LAND BASE

As an illustration of my premise, Scientology’s Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida has numerous Orgs, Scientology front groups, and fundraising programs that compete with each other daily for an ever-shrinking volume of donations. Here is what a Scientologist can be expected to donate to, or pay for, on a trip to Flag Land Base; this list is not exhaustive:

1. Flag Service Organization — Mandatory donations for auditing services and courses
2. The International Association of Scientologists — Scientology’s multibillion dollar slush fund
3. Lodgings at one of the several Scientology-owned hotels
4. Meals at one of the several Scientology-owned restaurants
5. Citizens Commission on Human Rights — The rabid anti-Psychiatry component of Scientology
6. The Way to Happiness Foundation — A Scientology Front Group
7. Youth for Human Rights — A Scientology Front Group
8. United for Human Rights — A Scientology Front Group
9. Foundation for a Drug Free World — A Scientology Front Group
10. Applied Scholastics — A Scientology Front Group
11. Criminon — A Scientology Front Group
12. Volunteer Ministers — A Scientology Front Group
13. The Basics Book Campaign — Fundraising to put L. Ron Hubbard’s books into libraries
14. The Ideal Org Campaign — Fundraising to buy more real estate called “Ideal Orgs”
15. The Archival Project — Fundraising to store L. Ron Hubbard’s works in nuclear proof vaults
16. Advanced Payments — Scientologists are asked to donate money now future services later
17. The L. Ron Hubbard Hall — a planned auditorium in Clearwater

MONASTERY SCIENTOLOGY

Monastery Scientology is a term I coined in 2008 when I predicted that Scientology will be drained of its middle class parishioners and become a haven for only the wealthiest of Scientologists who can afford to stay in the game. Monastery Scientology is becoming inevitable as only the wealthiest and most status-obsessed Scientologists will remain in the Cult of Scientology.

At present, the Cult is in a Palace of Versailles phase in which wealthy Scientologists vie for David Miscavige’s attention and favor as signified by a competition for larger and gaudier IAS statuses and trophies. These statuses and trophies require wealthy Scientologists to increase ever-larger amounts of cash to Scientology.

The prime example of failure in this pointless Palace of Versailles status race was Scientologist Richie Acunto. After donating ten million dollars to Scientology, his Survival Insurance company went bankrupt. And to his ignominy — and that of Scientology — Richie’s ten million dollar IAS trophy languished in a storage locker. When Richie failed to pay rent on the storage locker, its contents were sold at auction. Richie’s $10,000,000 trophy was sold on eBay to the highest bidder. The Church of Scientology was likely the highest bidder as the Acunto trophy has never been seen since it was sold on eBay. Again, another inconvenient matter swept under the rug. Richie Acunto has been long forgotten by Scientology.

This Palace of Versailles phase is characterized by a never-ending series of useless galas awash in flimsily contrived stories of imagined Scientology global triumphs, wildly inflated and nonsensical statistics, and garish trophies and awards. One of Scientology’s more patently absurd claims is that the mere distribution of its insipid Way to Happiness booklet reduced crime in Colombia by 50 percent.

In the terse no-nonsense language of American corporate life these events can be correctly described as circle jerks.

DOX: Scientology’s pricey Florida ‘spiritual mecca’ keeps up its value in latest tax records

(This piece was published on Tony Ortega’s Underground Bunker on 12.2.2017. It is republished here for archival purposes)

Jeffrey Augustine is once again keeping us up to date on Scientology’s financial documents. In this case, he has new figures on how much just one of many Scientology’s entities is worth, according to newly available tax documents.

In 2006, a change in the law required all non-profit organizations — even churches — to submit tax returns known as 990-T forms if they generated what is known as “unrelated business income.” A few years ago, I began finding and turning over to the Underground Bunker the 990-Ts for Scientology’s various entities.

Often, that income is fairly modest. But what’s more important for our purposes is that on each 990-T form there’s a box to fill out for “book value.” In other words, these organizations are asked to estimate their value in assets.

That requirement has led to a rare window into Scientology’s riches, and we like to keep up on the latest changes in those values.

In this case, I’ve found new documents related to the Flag Service Organization (FSO), the entity that runs Scientology’s Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida. This is where wealthy Scientologists from around the world come for expensive high-level auditing and other services. And keep in mind, FSO is just one of many entities that make up the Scientology movement, but it’s one of the more important ones.

So let’s see how the value of FSO has changed:

2008: $234.8 million
2009: $246.5 million
2010: $251.9 million
2011: $210.1 million
2012: $290.7 million
2013: $218.2 million
2014: $241.1 million
2015: $257.5 million

And here’s what that change in value looks like…

FSO is not the most valuable entity in the Scientology orbit. When we first began gathering these tax returns, for the year 2011, the Church of Scientology International was worth $790.8 million and the Church of Spiritual Technology listed a value of $434.4 million, for a total of $1.2 billion just for those two entities.

But even if it’s a distant third, the Flag Service Organization is steadily increasing in value.

This is consistent with what the newest defector from Flag told the Bunker recently. Peter Nyiri, who made a dramatic escape to freedom several months ago, said that the Flag Land Base is still bringing in huge income, of $2 million to $4 million a week — by starving the “outer orgs” and pressuring Scientology’s shrinking membership to come to Flag as often as they can for services.

Looking more carefully at recent returns by the FSO with the help of financial expert Dr. Jeff Wasel, we found a few noteworthy items…

In Part V of Flag’s 990-T returns filed in the period 2008-2013, FSO checked “Yes” on question 1 to indicate that it had an “interest in or other authority over a financial account (bank, securities, or other) in a foreign country.” Flag filled in the line to inform the IRS that it has financial interests in the United Kingdom and Australia. What are Flag’s financial interests in the United Kingdom and Australia? More importantly, how are they moving this money, and declaring these movements to the appropriate authorities, given these movements are between foreign entities?

In Part V of Flag’s 2014 and 2015, Flag checked “No,” indicating that it no longer had an “interest in or other authority over a financial account (bank, securities, or other) in a foreign country.” What happened to Flag’s financial interests in the United Kingdom and Australia?

In examining the 2013-2015 990-T’s, my personal view is that Flag’s stated costs for building improvements are either padded or excessive. For example, NOVA HRC is the firm that does the actual renovations on Scientology’s buildings (as well as many other clients). In the NOVA portfolio we have two hard data points:

1. Nova gives a project cost of $18,000,000 to renovate 393 guest rooms at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California. This is $45,801 per guest room.

2. Nova gives a project cost of $27,000,000 to renovate 220 guest rooms Flag’s Fort Harrison hotel. This is $122,727 per guest room. This seems utterly absurd and suggests, in my opinion, that the IRS should open an inquiry into why Scientology spends so lavishly on parishioner guest rooms. Scientology orders its parishioners to stay at Flag hotels and does not have to compete with secular hotels, so why the excessive spending?

In the Flag tax returns we see approximately $80,000 spent on exercise equipment for two properties. Additionally, their 2013 990-T form states that they spent some $14,296,680 on “improving” the Sandcastle Restaurant, used for public dining. For this money, it better be “Nobu” quality in food and atmosphere! The price mark-up on restaurant fixtures, as well as the same convoluted permitting process as that of the construction industry, are rife with the same potential for what seems to be excessive spending. What exactly is going on inside of Scientology and Nova that seems to be driving up renovation costs as compared to lower costs in the secular marketplace?

On a final note, even with the opening of the Super Power building on November 17, 2013 the Flag Land Base does not appear to have “boomed” whatsoever as a result of this edifice. Valued at $80,000,000, the Church of Scientology raised $145,000,000 for the project. Where did all the extra money go?

— Jeffrey Augustine

Flag Service Organization IRS 990-T forms 2008-2015

FSO Book Value 2015 $257,506,278

FSO Book Value 2014 $241,134,104

FSO Book Value 2013 $218,154,319

FSO Book Value 2012 $290,655,686

FSO Book Value 2011 $210,075,914

FSO Book Value 2010 $251,896,300

FSO Book Value 2009 $246,516,017

FSO Book Value 2008 $234,764,273

19,000 Scientologists?

Marauding Scientologists in San Francisco take to the streets with their pseudoscientific literature on drugs. Scientology’s cure for drugs? $360,000 in Scientology auditing and courses.

A frequently asked question: How many members does the Church of Scientology have?

I suggest that the better question is this: How many Scientologists are left in the Church after what has been a continuing mass exodus since 2005?

In 2014, Scientology Public Affairs Director Ms. Pat Harney was quoted in a Scientology-commissioned study in which she gave a figure of 19,000 Scientologists:

In 2013 over 9,000 parishioners visited the Church from around the world for Scientology religious services, many more than once, and for an average 36 days per visit. Additionally, about 10,000 Scientology parishioners currently reside in the Tampa Bay area. It is expected that those current numbers will increase given the recent opening of the Flag Building (providing additional specialized religious training and counseling services)

I am always skeptical of Scientology’s numbers because the Church has routinely lied about numbers since it began. For example, Scientology has variously claimed 12,000,000 members, 8,000,000 million members, and millions of members. None of these claims have ever been substantiated by something as simple as an independent third party audit of Scientology’s actual IAS list of active members in good standing with the Church. That’s what it would take to find the real number because Scientology has zero transparency on anything.

Nevertheless, as Pat Harney offered her 2014 numbers to the Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis at Florida State University, let us give them credibility. I say this because one would certainly expect the study’s authors Julie Harrington, Ph.D., Martijn Niekus, Drs., and David Glassner to have verified Harney’s numbers against internal Church of Scientology records.

Pat Harney’s number is buttressed by Scientology’s number given on its webpage about the 2013 grand opening of the Flag Building in Clearwater:

10,273 Scientologists.

One perfectly poised ribbon.

One ceremonial stage.

Welcome to the crowning accomplishment at the top of our Bridge.

Using Pat Harney’s number of 19,000 Scientologists gives us a year 2013 baseline of the approximate total members remaining in the Church: 10,000 in the Tampa Bay area of Florida and 9,000 elsewhere. We can safely assume that the vast majority of the 10,000 Scientologists in Tampa Bay attended the grand opening of the Flag Building as this was a mandatory event at which Scientology leader David Miscavige spoke.

Much to the consternation of Mr. Miscavige the event was memorably overflown by the Messrs. Rinder and Bennitt in a helicopter:

Harney opined that Scientology’s membership would increase with the opening of the Flag Building. Harney, however, has not offered a current statement of Scientology’s membership based on 2013-2017 numbers. Thus, Harney’s 2013 expectation of increased membership remains purely speculative.

It has long been maintained that Los Angeles has the highest concentration of Scientologists in the world but the Church of Scientology is itself contradictory on this matter. In 2010, David Miscavige opened the “Ideal Church of Scientology Los Angeles” which was actually the same old Church of Scientology Los Angeles that it has always been. At Scientology’s own website we are informed of the following:

The fully renovated Church of Scientology of Los Angeles was rededicated April 24, 2010 in ceremonies attended by 6,000 Scientologists and their guests.

While speaking at this 2010 rededication David Miscavige himself stated:

In describing the significance of the city of Los Angeles to Scientologists, Mr. Miscavige said: “It’s the city where the Church of Scientology was first incorporated in 1954. While even more than that, it’s the city with the largest concentration of Scientologists on Earth.”

Pat Harney claimed that 10,000 Scientologists lived in the Clearwater area in 2013 and 9,000 lived elsewhere. Harney’s statement falsifies David Miscavige’s assertion that Los Angeles is, “the city with the largest concentration of Scientologists on Earth.”

Events at which David Miscavige speaks are considered mandatory events and all Scientologists are expected to attend. Indeed, there is a huge effort made weeks before a Miscavige event to get everyone to attend. Sea Org are ordered to attend and to dress in civilian clothing, their so-called “Uniform K.”

Assuming, therefore, that the 2010 Los Angeles Miscavige event had maximal attendance, the numbers indicate that the location with the largest concentration of Scientologists on Earth is, in fact, the Tampa Bay area of Florida. According to Harney’s 2014 numbers, Tampa Bay has 4,000 more Scientologists residing there than in Los Angeles.

As for the Los Angeles numbers: The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles seats 6,300 people and Scientology rents the Shrine for events. Thus, the 6,000 in attendance at the rededication of the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles and the 6,300 seat capacity at the Shrine give us a reasonable basis to conclude that there are about 6,000 Scientologists in the Los Angeles area.

If the Tampa Bay area has 10,000 Scientologists and Los Angeles 6,000, then the remaining 3,000 Scientologists would most likely be concentrated in England, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, and Russia. Given the uncompromising determination of the Russian Federal Police to protect Russians from fraud by continually raiding Scientology’s Orgs in that country, Russia may well be outlawed there soon. The same goes for Hungary.

Please do comment. I would like as much data as possible on how many Scientologists you think remain in the Church. Leaks are always welcome.

OT’s must pay $100,000 if they breach the “OT Contract” and talk about Xenu or BT’s!

If a Scientology OT talks about the OT levels it is a breach of contract & they must pay Scientology $100,000 for each breach. This is part of the “Secret OT Contract” all OT’s must sign before they learn about Xenu, BT’s, and the other interesting facts on the OT levels.

1987: BBC Panorama on Scientology

In 1987 BBC Panorama broadcast an important show on Scientology that is now of great historical value. For example, this excerpt below features Don Larson, a member of Scientology’s infamous finance police.

This one hour show is presented in these five YouTube videos. What this BBC show reveals is that Transnational Corporate Scientology has always been a criminal organization and remains so today. The Xenu story is discussed in this 1987 BBC program.

Should Church of Scientology Be of interest to the Department of Homeland Security?

Should the Church of Scientology be of interest to the Department of Homeland Security?

Thanks to the hard work of researcher R.M. Seibert covered recently at the Underground Bunker, the public now knows that Scientology submitted 3,447 R1 religious worker visa petitions between 2009-2015:

As Tony Ortega noted:

— The single biggest source of applicants — 600 workers — was Russia, with Italy, Mexico, Hungary, Canada, Taiwan, Ukraine, Venezuela, Germany, and Colombia rounding out the top ten sources.

OSA’s reputation for vigilantism (Fair Game) leads us to ask if OSA wants a contingent of foreign “religious workers” for use in covert activities. Such operatives could be quickly and easily moved out of the US by OSA if needed.

Alternately, the exploitation of foreign workers by Scientology is of extreme concern. For example, Scientology confiscates passports of foreign workers in violation of US law. The DHS is interested in obtaining evidence and affidavits of any such violations.

We at the Scientology Money Project welcome an investigation into the Church of Scientology on these matters.

— INTERROGATORY —

Are you aware of any foreign Sea Org members in the US on R1 visas involved in OSA’s covert activities upon US soil?
Are you aware of any efforts by the Church to lie to the DHS about sham marriages arranged by OSA or other Scientology agents or operatives?
Do you know of any instances of sham marriages arranged by OSA or other Scientology agents or operatives?
Are you aware of any non-US Sea Org members who could not flee human rights abuses of Scientology because the Church had confiscated their passports and other documents?
Are you aware of any efforts by the Church to lie to the DHS about arranged marriages?
Are you aware of any foreign national in the Sea Org who has had a mental breakdown and was not given proper medical treatment?
Are you aware of any Scientology Sea Org members who have overstayed their visas and are still working for the Church of Scientology?
Are you aware of foreign workers being subjected to excessive working hours or inhumane working conditions? How many hours per day? How many hours per week?
Are you aware of specific lies told to non-US citizens in order to fraudulently induce them to come to the US and work for the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization?
Are you aware of any foreign religious workers who escaped from Flag or other Scientology locations and were “recovered” against their will by the Church or its agents or operatives?
Are you aware of foreign workers being subjected to humiliating and/or brutal psychological or corporal punishments at Flag Land Base or other Scientology locations?
Are you aware of any female foreign workers being forced against their will to have abortions by the Church?
Are you aware of any US laws that have been broken by foreign Sea Org workers that went unreported to law enforcement?
Are you aware of any crimes committed in the US by foreign Sea Org workers that the Church had knowledge of and acted to cover up?
Do you know of any instances of child molestation, rape, or sexual abuse committed against non-US Sea Org members upon US soil that have been covered up by the Church of Scientology or its agents?
Are you aware of any non-US Sea Org member who has been locked up and held against their will in RPF or a “babysitting” situation?
Do you know of any instances of Church of Scientology agents, operatives, or lawyers offering gifts to sworn officers or civilian employees of the Clearwater Police Department or the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department?

Please send your contact information to Jeffrey Augustine at scienowriter@gmail.com.

Your information will be kept confidential. The compiled data will be sent to various government agencies and embassies.

Leah Remini on ABC 20/20

Leah Remini’s new book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology is available here.

“The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus association with the Church of Scientology.”

“Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost.”

“That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star opens up about that experience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices.”

$100,000 Scientology Fine if an OT Talks About the OT Levels!

Church of Scientology OT’s refuse to publicly discuss the OT levels for many reasons.

One major reason of which the public is unaware is the $100,000 fine OT’s agree to pay if they make public any parts of the OT Levels.

You read that correctly: OT’s sign a contract with Flag Services Organization (FSO) which binds them to pay $100,000 for each and every time they disclose any information about the OT Levels.

In the Church of Scientology, the OT Levels are called the Advanced Technology.

The Advanced Technology is a classified by the Church of Scientology as a religious trade secret. As such, only certain churches of Scientology are licensed by RTC to use this ultra-secret advanced technology to handle the effects of the catastrophe that occurred in this sector of the galaxy 75,000,000 years ago on a confederation of 76 planets — you know the rest of the story. The PDF below contains the plain text of the actual Flag contract:

Scientology-Fine-if-an-OT-Talks-About-the-OT-Levels