Maria Pia Gardini (continued)

In declaration #2 Maria details a monumental "reg cycle" in which she was coerced into turning over a million dollars for a project to bring Italian auditors to Flag to train to Class 8, only to find that not one Italian Class 8 was ever made with the money she had donated. Yet the Commanding Officer of the Flag Service Organization, Debbie Cook, bought a new $40,000 car with the commission she made from Maria's coerced donation, and many others also got commissions from Maria's money. When Maria demanded her money back she was again coerced, this time into agreeing to get only half her money back. Maria was in serious financial trouble and Scientology knew it. They waved a check in front of her and told her if she would agree to be repaid only half the money they would give her the check right away, otherwise, she would get nothing.

Maria signed an agreement under these coercive circumstances, but she was never given a copy of the document, and her Italian attorney later told her the agreement, written in English but signed in Italy, was not legally binding. Shortly after Maria visited the Lisa McPherson Trust, I received a letter from Kendrick Moxon threatening to sue the LMT for inducing Maria Gardini to breach her contract. John Merrett then wrote to Moxon demanding a copy of the contract that was allegedly being breached, and informing Moxon that unless a copy of the agreement was forthcoming within one week we would consider that no such agreement existed. That was at the beginning of February. No such agreement has ever been produced by Moxon. Moxon's threatening letter and LMT attorney, John Merrett's response are also available on our site.

Maria's declaration #3 is very short. It details one example of the kind of coercive treatment Maria was subjected to by Flag personnel to get her to turn over her money.

Tragically, Maria's daughter died of AIDS, contracted when she used a dirty needle given to her by another drug user while being treated at Narconon. Her daughter was OT7 when she died.

We are sure you will find the elements of coercion, abuse and fraud in Maria's story all too familiar.

Read Maria's documents in Italian here or here

Some of the terms Maria uses in her declarations are unique to Scientology. A GLOSSARY for the declarations, as well as supporting documents, can be seen here.

Maria did an interview with Italy's Oggi Magazine. Read the article in English or in Italian in PDF format.

Read the March 6, 2001 article about Maria in Italy's Il Terreno Magazine in Italian in pdf format.