Secret emails reveal Scientology Church had “slave labor” build bus for Tom Cruise
According to a former high-ranking church staffer, the Scientology sect is under an FBI investigation of human trafficking and unpaid labor.
The church’s former Inspector General, Mark Rathbun claims to be in possession of secret mails written by Yvonne Gonzalves, the Director of Vehicles of the Sea Org branch, the top-secret organization within the Church.
This organization is said to be responsible for building the trailer-style bus, called the “Silver Screen”, for which staffers put in nearly 9,000 man hours to produce. Two shifts worked steadily for a total of 17 hour each day, Gonzalves wrote in the email.
“Silver Screen is a custom coach requiring 2X the hours as a normal coach and incurs overtime,” Rathbun claims Gonzalves’ email, dated July 13, 2005, reads. “The bus is more custom than anything they have ever done,” reports RadarOnline.com.
The bus was to be a present to Cruise from his close friend, Church of Scientology head David Miscavige and Cruise’s best man at his wedding to Katie Holmes.
Other works allegedly performed by church members, reportedly paid just $50 a week, include a Scientology property and a building, an SUV and two motorcycles owned by Cruise.
The FBI is investigating alleged human trafficking at the church and has interviewed several high-ranking Sea Org defectors, over the past two years, about what they claim are abusive and coercive practices within the church.
In response to the claims, Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis denies the allegations.
“Whatever small economic benefit Mr. Cruise may have received from the assistance of church staff pales in comparison to the benefits the church has received from Mr. Cruise’s many years of volunteer efforts for the church,” Davis told The New Yorker.
