Editing Scientology controversies (section)

==Criminal convictions of executives==
{{See also|Operation Snow White|United States v. Hubbard|Scientology and law}}

Much of the controversy surrounding Scientology is reflected in the [[Scientology and law#Court cases|long list of legal incidents]] associated with the organization including the [[United States v. Hubbard|criminal convictions of core members]] of the Scientology organization.

In 1978, a number of Scientologists, including L.&nbsp;Ron Hubbard's wife [[Mary Sue Hubbard]] (who was second in command in the organization at the time), were convicted of perpetrating what was at the time the largest incident of domestic [[espionage]] in the history of the United States, called "[[Operation Snow White]]". This involved infiltrating, wiretapping, and stealing documents from the offices of Federal attorneys and the [[Internal Revenue Service]]. The judge who convicted Mary Sue Hubbard and ten accomplices described their attempt to plead [[freedom of religion]] in defense:

{{blockquote |text=It is interesting to note that the founder of their organization, [[unindicted co-conspirator]] L.&nbsp;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. {{pb}}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. |author=Judge Richey<ref name=nr4186>{{multiref2 |1={{cite book|title=National Reporting, 1941-1986 : From Labor Conflicts to the Challenger Disaster (Pulitzer Prize Archive) |pages=300–306 |isbn=9783598301728 |chapter=From Clearwater (Florida) in 1979 (St. Petersburg Times) |first1=Charles |last1=Stafford |first2=Bette S |last2=Orsini|date=1988 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter }} |2={{cite book |url=http://sptimes.com/2006/webspecials06/scientology/Scientology_Special_Report.pdf |title=Scientology: An in-depth profile of a new force in Clearwater |date=1979 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809193839/http://sptimes.com/2006/webspecials06/scientology/Scientology_Special_Report.pdf |archive-date=August 9, 2007 |first1=Charles |last1=Stafford |first2=Bette S |last2=Orsini |publisher=[[St Petersburg Times]] |chapter=Scientology brings 4 years of discord |page=3 }} {{cite web |url=https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/bette-swenson-orsini-and-charles-stafford |title=The 1980 Pulitzer Prize Winner in National Reporting |website=[[Pulitzer Prize|The Pulitzer Prizes]] |access-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-date=February 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217041045/https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/bette-swenson-orsini-and-charles-stafford |url-status=live }} }}</ref>
}}

Eleven church staff members, including Mary Sue Hubbard and other highly placed officials, pleaded guilty or were convicted in federal court based on evidence seized in the raids and received sentences from two to six years (some suspended).<ref name=nr4186/>

Other noteworthy incidents involving criminal accusations and prosecutions against the Church of Scientology include:
* On January 4, 1963, more than one hundred [[E-meter]]s were seized by [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. marshals]] at the [[Founding Church of Scientology]] building, now known as the [[L.&nbsp;Ron Hubbard House]], located in Washington, D.C. The Church was accused of making false claims that the devices effectively treated some 70 percent of all physical and mental illness. The FDA also charged that the devices did not bear adequate directions for treating the conditions for which they were recommended.<ref>{{cite book | author=Christopher Riche Evans | title=Cults of Unreason | publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux | year=1974 | isbn=0-374-13324-7| title-link=Cults of Unreason }} Chapter 6.</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Russell Miller | title=Bare-Faced Messiah: The true story of L.&nbsp;Ron Hubbard | chapter=15. Visits To Heaven | url=http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm | chapter-url=http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfm15.htm | publisher=Key Porter Books | year=1987 | isbn=1-55013-027-7 | archive-date=March 12, 2011 | access-date=March 6, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312081721/http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> Upon appeal, the E-meters were returned, with the direction that they should be used only in "bona fide religious counseling", and that all meters and referring literature must include a label disclaiming any medical benefits.<ref name="scribd.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/5024758/Court-Order-FDA-Scientology-Dianetics-Hubbard-Emeter |title=Court Order – FDA – Scientology Dianetics Hubbard E-meter |work=Scribd |date=2008-08-25 |access-date=2012-06-03 |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429052211/http://www.scribd.com/doc/5024758/Court-Order-FDA-Scientology-Dianetics-Hubbard-Emeter |url-status=live }}</ref> In the decision, the court gave recognition to Scientology's "constitutional right to protection from the government's excessive entanglement with religion" as written by [[James R. Lewis (scholar)|James R. Lewis]], in ''Scientology''.<ref name="Lewis09" />
* In 1978, L.&nbsp;Ron Hubbard was convicted ''[[trial in absentia|in absentia]]'' by French authorities of engaging in [[fraud]], fined 35,000 [[French franc|francs]], and sentenced to four years in prison.<ref name="criticsabroad">{{cite news |first=Lucy |last=Morgan |title=Abroad: Critics public and private keep pressure on Scientology |url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/32999/Worldandnation/Abroad__Critics_publi.html |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |date=March 29, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522214354/http://www.sptimes.com/News/32999/Worldandnation/Abroad__Critics_publi.html |archive-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> The head of the French Church of Scientology was convicted at the same trial and given a suspended one-year prison sentence.<ref>''Catholic Sentinel'', March 17, 1978</ref>
* The FBI raid on the Church's headquarters revealed documentation that detailed Scientology actions against various critics of the organization. Among these documents was a plan to frame [[Gabe Cazares]], the mayor of [[Clearwater, Florida]], with a staged hit-and-run accident. Also, plans were made to discredit the skeptical organization [[CSICOP]] by spreading rumors that it was a front for the [[CIA]], and a project called "[[Operation Freakout]]" which aimed at ruining the life of [[Paulette Cooper]], author of ''The Scandal of Scientology'', an early book that had been critical of the movement.{{r|sptimes1979}}
* In 1988, the government of Spain arrested Scientology president [[Heber Jentzsch]] and ten other members of the organization on various charges including illicit association, coercion, fraud, and labor law violations.{{r|SPTHarassment}} Jentzsch [[bail|jumped bail]], leaving Spain and returning to the United States after Scientology paid a [[bail bond]] of approximately $1 million, and he has not returned to the country since. Scientology fought the charges in court for fourteen years, until the case was finally dismissed in 2002.<ref name="criticsabroad" />
* The Church of Scientology is the only religious organization in Canada to be convicted on the charge of breaching the public trust: [[R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto|''The Queen v. Church of Scientology of Toronto, et al.'']] (1992)<ref>{{cite web |title=1996 CanLII 1650 (ON C.A.) |publisher=CanLII |url=http://www.canlii.org/on/cas/onca/1996/1996onca10342.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723190021/http://www.canlii.org/on/cas/onca/1996/1996onca10342.html |archive-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref>
* In France, several officials of the Church of Scientology were convicted of [[embezzlement]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news | first = Jon | last = Henley | title = France arms itself with legal weapon to fight sects | url = https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,3604,499586,00.html | work = The Guardian | date = 2001-06-01 | access-date = 2007-10-30 | location = London | archive-date = May 20, 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240520125237/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jun/01/jonhenley | url-status = live }}</ref> The Church was listed as a "dangerous cult" in a parliamentary report.<ref>{{cite news | title = France recommends dissolving Scientologists | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/635793.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2000-02-08 | access-date = 2007-11-04 | archive-date = November 26, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061126231627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/635793.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> In May 2009, a trial commenced in France against Scientology, accusing it of organised fraud. The case focused on a complaint by a woman who says that after being offered a free personality test, she was pressured into paying large sums of money. The Church is regarded as a sect in France.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8066743.stm Scientology trial due in France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527003418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8066743.stm |date=May 27, 2009 }} [[BBC News]] 25 May 2009.</ref> The result of the trial was that two branches of the organization and several of its leaders have been found guilty of fraud and fined. [[Alain Rosenberg]], the group's head in France, received a two-year suspended jail sentence.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8327569.stm | work=BBC News | title=Scientologists convicted of fraud | date=2009-10-27 | access-date=2010-05-23 | archive-date=October 28, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028161309/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8327569.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Church of Scientology long considered the [[Cult Awareness Network]] (CAN) as one of its most important enemies, and many Scientology publications during the 1980s and 1990s cast CAN (and its spokesperson at the time, Cynthia Kisser) in an unfriendly light, accusing the cult-watchdog organization of various criminal activities. After CAN was forced into bankruptcy and taken over by Scientologists in the late 1990s, Scientology proudly proclaimed this as one of its greatest victories.{{r|urban|pp=149-152}}
* In Belgium, after a judicial investigation since 1997, a trial against the organization was due to begin in 2008. Charges include formation of a criminal organization, the unlawful exercise of medicine, and fraud.<ref>{{multiref2 |1={{cite web |url=http://www.anti-scientologie.ch/lesoir-magazine.htm#infamie |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613231010/http://www.anti-scientologie.ch/lesoir-magazine.htm |archive-date=2006-06-13 |title=L'Église internationale de Scientologie investit la Belgique Une décision avant tout politique |language=fr |publisher=Le Soir Magazine |date=17 May 2006 |trans-title=The International Church of Scientology invests Belgium A primarily political decision}} |2={{cite journal|year=2006|title=Nog dit jaar Belgisch proces tegen Scientology |language=nl |trans-title=Belgian trial against Scientology this year |url=http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/?news=own1143158121|journal=De Morgen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614233153/http://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/?news=own1143158121|archive-date=June 14, 2006|access-date=2006-07-23}} }}</ref><ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/scientologists-charged-with-extortion/2007/09/05/1188783277713.html Belgium charges Scientologists with extortion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107083426/http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/scientologists-charged-with-extortion/2007/09/05/1188783277713.html |date=November 7, 2007 }}. [[Sydney Morning Herald]]. Accessed 05 September 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Susan Taylor | last = Martin | title = Belgium builds case against Scientology | url = http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/04/Worldandnation/Belgium_builds_case_a.shtml | work = [[St. Petersburg Times]] | date = 2007-11-04 | access-date = 2007-11-04 | archive-date = November 5, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071105193621/http://www.sptimes.com/2007/11/04/Worldandnation/Belgium_builds_case_a.shtml | url-status = live }}</ref>
* In the United Kingdom the Church has been accused of "grooming" [[City of London Police]] [[Police officer|officers]] with gifts worth thousands of pounds.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1035044.mostviewed.police_received_gifts_from_church_of_scientology.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302112922/http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1035044.mostviewed.police_received_gifts_from_church_of_scientology.php | archive-date=2008-03-02 | title=Police received gifts from Church of Scientology |author=Peter Law |work=Croydon Guardian}}</ref>
* In Australia, Scientology has been temporarily banned in the 1960s in three out of six states; the use of the [[E-meter]] was similarly banned in Victoria. In Victoria, Scientology was investigated by the state government. In the conclusion to his report written as part of this investigation, Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C. stated "Scientology is a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception".<ref name="andersonreport"/> The report was later overturned by the High Court of Australia, which compelled the states to recognize Scientology as a religion for purposes of payroll taxes,{{Efn|From paragraph 21, per Wilson & Deane JJ: "The conclusion to which we have ultimately come is that Scientology is, for relevant purposes, a religion {{r|Scientology HCA|p=para 21}} }} stating "Regardless of whether the members of {{interp|the Scientology organization}} are gullible or misled or whether the practices of Scientology are harmful or objectionable, the evidence, in our view, establishes that Scientology must, for relevant purposes, be accepted as 'a religion' in Victoria."<ref name="Scientology HCA"/>{{rp|para 22|quote=per Wilson & Deane JJ}}
* In 2009, a Paris court found the French Church of Scientology guilty of organized fraud and imposed a fine of nearly {{Currency|900000}}.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/europe/28france.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1256709765-Q0YNb5qph2q2KIXqqey3Jw|title=French Branch of Scientology Convicted of Fraud|author=Steven Erlanger|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 27, 2009|access-date=2009-10-27|archive-date=June 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617102415/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/europe/28france.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1256709765-Q0YNb5qph2q2KIXqqey3Jw|url-status=live}}</ref> The prosecution had asked for the Church to be banned, but a recent change in legislation made this impossible. The case had been brought by two ex-members who said they had been pressured into spending large amounts of money on Scientology courses and other services. Commenting on the verdict, the plaintiffs' attorney said, "It's the first time in France that the entity of the Church of Scientology is condemned for fraud as an organized gang". A Scientology spokesperson likened the judgment to "an Inquisition for modern times" and said the Church would appeal.<ref name=NYT />