Dennis RomeroAn L.A. County Sheriff's deputy was under internal investigation this week after he appeared in uniform in a mailer for the Church of Scientology. He appeared to be encouraging members to buy spiritual services that can cost as much as $8,000 a pop.
The revelation comes from our sister publication, the Village Voice and its Editor-in-Chief Tony Ortega, who has been covering Scientology for years.
After spotting Deputy Benjamin Ring in a mailer last week, Ortega contacted sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore, who says:
We're going to get to the bottom of it … We are not in the business of endorsing any particular anything, if you know what I mean. People in their off-duty hours in their regular street clothes can do whatever they want, but when they don Sheriff's Department gear it's another matter.
Of course, it's no revelation that Sheriff Lee Baca has been friendly to the church.
In the mailer, Ring appears to encourage members to pay for expensive “co-auditing” services that can get them up Scientology's notorious ladder to “clarity” (and which can get the church some cash).
The flier quotes the lawman:
What's the point of having a condo in Burbank or going to Europe instead of investing in myself. Instead of flowing money to my IRA or 401K, why don't I just flow money toward my Bridge?
Perfectly healthy, perfectly normal.
[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]
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