Church of Scientology is on opposite ends of two celebrity rape cases in L.A., New York and the Midwest.
L.A.-based Scientologists and New York City police investigating the rape of a young Scientologist in 2013 were able to build an alliance with police and prosecutors, and a $30,000 deal with L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey and a $6,000 cash payout with New York City law enforcement following the 2015 attack. For their part, Scientology leaders and police in St. Louis were able to get an arrangement with prosecutors to secure a $5,000 payment for information provided.
The most interesting aspect of the St. Louis case was that prosecutors were able to secure an agreement with a private attorney representing the woman, who was a victim of years of stalking from her ex-boyfriend. That agreement resulted in Scientologists in St. Louis going to court to get their money back and losing.
As L.A.-based Scientology leaders are working with prosecutors in Los Angeles and New York City, the St. Louis cases of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and former Scientologists show how far those efforts have gone in both states to bring justice to victims of Scientology abuse, even in cases in which the Scientology-extremist organization is denying the alleged abuse by members of its group, the Sea Org.
In the wake of the Chicago Tribune’s exposé on how Scientologists are able to pay for a former friend’s rape under the guise of “voluntary” charity, Scientology leaders have turned to the courts to recover money lost to the Sea Org.
L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard would like to be thought of as a “great father figure” who cared deeply about his children. Scientology leaders and their spokespeople have made similar claims about L. Ron Hubbard and his family after a reporter for the New York Times found he and his wife had donated $25,000 apiece to a church program run by the Rev. Peter Gomes, who became the church’s national outreach director last year.
That $25,000 per daughter would be about $
