Ron Miscavige has been telling tales his whole life, but now in his later years the tales are more and more ridiculous and far-fetched. One such lie is that Ron “escaped” from Golden Era Productions where he was the third trumpet player in the Music Department, as a member of the Church’s religious order.

Ron Miscavige has been telling tales his whole life, but now in his later years the tales are more and more ridiculous and far-fetched.

The facts are that in late 2011, a Philadelphia newspaper started digging into Ron's 1985 arrest. It clearly struck a nerve with Ron, who started acting irrational. One day, out of the blue, he took off. Ron did not “escape”—he simply drove the car his younger son and daughters gave him for his 70th birthday, filled with a lifetime of gifts from his younger son. Ron drove through the gate just as he had done thousands of times before—as he did virtually every single day. Nobody tried to stop him and nobody chased after him. Instead of his regular destination, the music studio across the street, Ron drove to Wisconsin with his much younger wife, without the courtesy of telling anyone that he was leaving. That’s it.

Ron drove to Wisconsin with his much younger wife, without the courtesy of telling anyone that he was leaving. That’s it.

Ron’s tale of sending possessions to Wisconsin in advance of his departure, by disguising them as birthday presents to his mother-in-law, is ludicrous. After he left Golden Era Productions, Ron sent written lists specifying in great detail the many possessions he left behind and requested that the Church send them to him. The Church did so.

These personal possessions amounted to more than two pallets (some 40 boxes), which the Church shipped to Ron at a cost to the Church of approximately $3,000. Ron and his current wife, Becky, had email, text and phone conversations with Marion Pouw about the items sent and thanked her for doing so. In other words, while Ron’s myth that he sneaked his possessions out through the mail to his mother-in-law, as part of his “escape” plan, may make for an entertaining tale. But everything from shipping invoices to emails from Ron and his wife expose the lie.

Ron’s myth that he sneaked his possessions out through the mail to his mother-in-law, as part of his “escape” plan, may make for an entertaining tale. But everything from shipping invoices to emails from Ron and his wife expose the lie.

Golden Era Productions, the 500-acre worldwide film center for the Scientology religion, boasts an 80,000-square-foot film studio, high definition digital editing suites, a cutting-edge visual effects department, and the most advanced recording, reproduction and mixing facilities available anywhere. Staffed by members of the Church’s religious order, it’s an idyllic workers paradise set against rustic Southern California hills with the look and feel of a resort, featuring four-star dining, spacious berthing and such amenities as a golf course, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts and fully equipped gym available to the staff 24 hours a day.

On a March day in 2012, Ron Miscavige out of the blue left Golden Era Productions where he was the third trumpet player in the Church band, without a single word to his co-workers or bandmates. These were the very people he had worked with for nearly 30 years. Not a phone call, a letter or even a single goodbye to any of them before or since.

The statements of some of his bandmates:

• When Ron left here in 2012, he said goodnight to me as if all was normal. That was the last time I ever saw him. He drove off in his car (given to him as a birthday present by his children) the next day! This was after Ron had worked as a musician and in the band at Gold every single day of his life for over 20 years. We flew together to various events for years and years and years. We played concerts around the world, and had the opportunity to perform with incredible musicians that Ron would never remotely have been able to work with were he not a staff member at Gold. He took advantage of it. Yet, after all that he just took off without a word? Actually, worse, it was a total betrayal and total cowardice. He didn’t give a damn about the other musicians or our welfare, let alone his own son and family.—AR



• I worked with him right here in the Music Department for more than two decades. I’m not interested in having any communication with him now, after he walked out so arrogantly without any comment, and no word from him since—not an apology, thank you, goodbye—nothing. But when I heard what he is doing and saying, I couldn’t help but respond, considering how unbelievable and vast his fantasy is. While he complains about how badly he was treated here, I and the rest of the Music staff witnessed what was really happening. The staff here at Golden Era worked our asses off to help him, solely out of respect for his son, as Ron sure didn’t treat any of us too well. Ron was treated very well, with extra care, just because the people here wanted to see him do well, be productive and happy. We did not want him to be a burden to his son. Yet Ron was hostile towards others. He was argumentative, and a bully.—ME



• Ron was here and worked with us since 1985. He could have left at any time in the 27 years he was here. Yet he didn’t. Instead Ron is a con man and a coward. He left without saying goodbye or anything. Not a word from him, no communication at all, though he pretended that he was working with a Scientology organization for all that time. And now he says he “escaped.” He could have walked any time and not wasted all of our time trying to help him and having to listen to all his stupid stories over and over and over again. We traveled all over the world. We spent a lot of time together. I laugh out loud at the thought that he is saying he was trapped. Give me a break.—CL

There are precise procedures when one wishes to leave the religious order. Ron, to this very day, has never availed himself of these steps. Ron has not written a single communication to the Church concerning his departure from the religious order, only asking for his “stuff.” Ron should have known that his relationship to the leader of the Church would not give him special dispensation to be unethical. Rather, that relationship requires an even higher responsibility. Ron’s bitterness about not being afforded special favors and being held to the same standards as all members has fueled the resentment that permeates his false story.

Ron’s bitterness about not being afforded special favors and being held to the same standards as all members has fueled the resentment that permeates his false story.

Four years later, to make a buck off the name and accomplishments of his younger son, Ron concocted a tale of his “Great Escape,” made all the more absurd by the fact that the car he drove off in was gifted to him by the same son and his two daughters. The truth is, Ron drove through the gate he had passed through every day for years, down the state highway he had traveled thousands of times. In fact, nobody even noticed he had left until Monday—a full day later. Watch the reenactment of Ron Miscavige’s “Great Escape.”