The Deputy District Attorney in Danny Masterson‘s rape retrial dropped a bombshell in court this week, telling the judge that he believes the Church of Scientology is getting its hands on redacted discovery material — including emails between alleged victims and police, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller began Masterson’s retrial on Wednesday by informing Judge Olmedo: “There was an email that was sent from Vicki Podberesky on May 2, 2023, to our assistant DA James Garrison as well as our bureau director, and the subject is listed as ‘False reports of stalking by the Church of Scientology.'”
Podberesky has longtime been associated as a lawyer for the religious group.
“In the email, Ms. Podberesky indicates that during the retrial, DDA Mueller asked questions to Jane Doe 3 that were intended to elicit answers he knew to be false. That the witnesses have filed dozens of reports claiming that the church has stalked them. That Podberesky met with LAPD Chief Moore and filed on behalf of the Church of Scientology a series of complaints with the LAPD, specifically that Det Vargas has left open numerous and false reports by the witnesses. Not one of the reports has turned out to be true, and that Mueller knows there is no merit to the reports,” Mueller claimed.
According to Tony Ortega’s site, The Underground Bunker, Mueller told the judge that Podberesky’s email allegedly included links to several disturbing files.
“In the attachments, I don’t want to say all of our discover, but a large amount of our discover was attached to these files. Emails between law enforcement and victims. Text messages. Police reports. Photos. We weren’t able to get through all the attachments, but it’s extremely troubling that all of our redacted discovery we turned over to the defense is now in the hands of Scientology,” Mueller alleged.
When Judge Olmedo asked Masterson’s defense attorney, Philip Cohen, if he had been “sharing discovery with the Church of Scientology,” he denied the accusations.
When the judge pushed further about how Podberesky would have the discovery material, Cohen doubled down and responded, “No idea.” But Judge Olmedo was not satisfied with that answer, issuing “an order to show cause” but said the prosecution would have until “after the trial to find out how the discovery in a criminal case ended up there.”
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As for ex-Scientologist Leah Remini, she shared her thoughts on the matter via social media. She claimed that Podberesky, “who receives her orders directly from Captain David Miscavige,” made a “colossal error” when she “included a link” in the email she sent to the DA’s office to “complain about how Scientology was being treated in the trial.”
Remini pointed out, “This is the same criminal discovery the DA shared with Danny Masterson’s defense team,” and “Scientology has no reason to have criminal discovery materials in its possession.”
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Scientology and Podberesky for comment.
Masterson, a longtime Scientologist, faces three charges of forcible rape. Three women have stepped forward alleging the actor raped them in the early 2000s.
As RadarOnline.com reported, a mistrial was declared in November after the jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision based on alleged “inconsistencies” in the accusers’ recollection of events. His retrial was set immediately, giving Masterson barely any time to breathe before the accusations were rehashed.