- GA Letter to FBI (August 13, 1986)
- Declaration of Gerald Armstrong (August 12, 1986)
- Letter from Roger Geller to FBI (November 6, 1985)
- FBI: Investigation of Gerald D. Armstrong (November 4, 1985)
- Letter from Roger Geller to FBI (November 1, 1985)
- Letter from John G. Peterson to LA DA (October 24, 1985)
- Declaration of Gerry Armstrong (October 23, 1985)
- Letter from Roger Geller to FBI SA Tim Leonard (October 22, 1985)
- FBI Complaint: Scientology’s Complaint against Gerry Armstrong (“Impersonation”) (October 17, 1985)
- Complaint: Transcript of Mitra Hall Complaint to FBI Re Gerry Armstrong (October 17, 1985)
- Affidavit of Mitra Hall (October 17, 1985)
Mitra Hall
GA Letter to FBI (August 13, 1986)
Law Offices
FLYNN, JOYCE & SHERIDAN
400 ATLANTIC AVENUE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02210
———
(617)350-7200
MICHAEL J. FLYNN
ROBERT W. JOYCE, P.C.
WILLIAM A. SHERIDAN
MICHAEL A. TABBAugust 13, 1986 Federal Bureau of Investigation
John F. Kennedy Building
Government Center
Boston, MA 02203Re: Gerald Armstrong
Your file no. 47-4569Dear Sir/Madam:
Enclosed please find a copy of a declaration I wrote regarding my contact with an individual named Mitra Hall who had in October 1985 filed a false complaint against me with the Boston FBI.1
I am aware that Assistant US Attorney Victor Wild, to whom the matter was referred at the time, stated that he would decline prosecution. Nevertheless, I wish to ensure that your file is complete, so I am forwarding this declaration.
Very truly yours, [Signed] G. Armstrong
Gerald ArmstrongGA/
enclosure
Notes
- See Declaration of Gerald Armstrong (August 12, 1986) ↩
Declaration of Gerald Armstrong (August 12, 1986)
DECLARATION OF GERALD ARMSTRONG
I, Gerald Armstrong, declare as follows:
1. On July 31 and August 1, 1986 my deposition was taken by attorney Eric Blumenson in the case of Michael Flynn v. Church of Scientology, et al., No. CV 85-4853-R(Mcx). During his questioning of me, Mr. Blumenson revealed that the individual who had filed the complaint against me with the FBI in Boston in October 1985 was a woman named Mitra Hall. Prior to that time I had never heard of Ms. Hall.
2. This morning I had business which brought me at approximately 10:00 a.m. to the MBTA Green Line Auditorium stop on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. As I was about to enter the station to take the train to work, I was approached by a woman who asked me if I would like to take a “free personality test.” The woman was approximately 30 years old, about five feet four inches in height, dark haired, light brown skinned, and big-chested. She carried in her hand a bunch of cards with the words “personality test’ printed on them. Recalling that the complaint filed against me with the FBI had alleged that I had identified myself as an FBI agent to an individual handing out personality test cards at this same location, I asked the woman her name. She said, “Mitra Hall.”
3. I then asked Ms. Hall if she knew who I was. She said, “No.” I asked her if she had ever seen me before. She said, “No.” I asked her a number of times and in different ways if she was absolutely sure she had never seen me before. She said, “No” to each question. It was clear that Ms. Hall had never seen me before. And I had never seen her before, and had never been to the Auditorium stop nor that part of Boston at any time before today.
4. I identified myself to Ms. Hall then questioned her about the incident which had allegedly occurred last October. She told me that she had been shown several photographs of me by someone, whom she would not name, in the legal department of the Boston Scientology organization, and had identified me as a result of being shown the photos. She stated that she had been accompanied by Scientology attorney Roger Geller when she went to the FBI to file the complaint.
5. I told Ms. Hall that she had filed a false complaint against me, and she stated she was justified “because (I was) trying to destroy (her) church.” She reiterated this charge, and the charge that my attorney Michael Flynn was trying to destroy her church, several times. It was clear from Ms. Hall’s failure to recognize me and from what she said that her complaint against me was false, but that she considered her action in filing the false complaint laudable because I was Scientology’s “enemy.” Following our conversation, which lasted about three minutes, I entered the train station and traveled to my workplace.
I declare under the penalty of perjury under the Laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed this 12th day of August, 1986 at Boston,
Massachusetts.
[Signed] Gerald Armstrong
Gerald Armstrong
Letter from Roger Geller to FBI (November 6, 1985)
Geller & Weinberg
ATTORNEYS AT LAW –
Eighty Boylston Street Suite 910
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617)482-5200November 6, 1985
Tim Leonard, Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
JFK Federal Building
Government Center
Boston, MA 02203Re: Gerald Armstrong
Dear Mr. Leonard:
When you called my office on October 21, 1985 concerning the complaint of Mitra Hall about Gerald Armstrong you indicated to me that you would advise me after you had spoken to Mr. Armstrong.
It has now been more than two weeks since our call. Have you contacted Mr. Armstrong? Did he admit to his violation of the Federal statute? Was he told of the criminal consequences of his actions? Will he be prosecuted?
I look forward to your response to these questions.
Sincerely,
Roger GellerRG/clm
ROGER GELLER * PHILIP M. WEINBERG * JUDY WHISNANT
Letter from Roger Geller to FBI (November 1, 1985)
Geller & Weinberg
ATTORNEYS AT LAW –
Eighty Boylston Street Suite 910
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617)482-5200November 1, 1985
Tim Leonard, Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
JFK Federal Building
Government Center
Boston, MA 02203Re: Gerald Armstrong
Dear Mr. Leonard:
When you called my office on October 21, 1985 concerning the complaint of Mitra Hall about Gerald Armstrong you indicated to me that you would advise me after you had spoken to Mr. Armstrong. It has now been almost two weeks since our call. Have you contacted Mr. Armstrong? Did he admit the incident occurred? Was he told of the criminal consequences of his actions? Will he be prosecuted?
I look forward to your response to these questions.
Sincerely,
Roger Geller
RG/clm
ROGER GELLER * PHILIP M. WEINBERG * JUDY WHISNANT
Letter from John G. Peterson to LA DA (October 24, 1985)
PETERSON & BRYNAN
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
8530 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, SUITE 407
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA 90211
——
(213) 659-9965JOHN G. PETERSON
M. JEFFREY BRYNAN
October 24, 1985
Robert Jorgensen
Assistant Head Special Investigations
LA District Attorney’s Office
210 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012Re: Violations of California Criminal Statutes by Gerald Armstrong, Michael Flynn, Al Lipkin, Al Ristuccia, and Daryl Gates1
Dear Mr. Jorgensen,
I have not received a response from you to my letter of a month ago. Additionally, I have not received a call from you from last week, when I was attempting to ascertain the true facts behind the Police Department’s intention to call you as their witness in the Board of Rights on police officer Phillip Rodriguez.
Unfortunately, I am forming an impression that you have not taken our complaint seriously, as it was originally lodged with the District Attorney three months ago.
We have sent you more than adequate documentation of crimes conceived and perpetrated by Mr. Armstrong, and resultant cover-up actions done by IRS agents and the Chief of Police of Los Angeles. We are awaiting investigation of this matter by the District Attorney’s office as the crimes involved are serious and ongoing.
I am sending you with this letter an affidavit from a Boston Church of Scientology staff member who was interrupted and harassed by Gerald Armstrong on Sunday, October 13, 1985.2 Armstrong impersonated an FBI officer during this encounter. A complaint3 has been lodged with the Boston FBI office and is being followed up by that office right now.
You will recall from our complaint that Armstrong has sought the shelter of more than one government agency in the midst of his conspiracy to destroy a religion. He is a) continuing to do that; b) continuing his pattern of harassment against the Church of Scientology.
I really think that your office has had adequate time to review the original complaint and the subsequent materials I sent. The Church of Scientology has an admirable record in prevention of crime, combating drug abuse, and championing the cause of freedom. It fully deserves the support of all law enforcement agencies.
Let us now move forward without delay into the investigation of the charges the Church of Scientology has lodged with your office. And please be so kind as to respond to the complaint we lodged with your office a month ago and inform us of the actions you are taking in this matter.
Very truly yours,
PETERSON & BRYNAN[Signed] John Peterson
John Peterson
Attorney at Lawcc: Ira Reiner
District Attorneycc: Stephen Sowders
Special Investigations
Office of the District Attorney
Notes
- This document in PDF format. ↩
- See Affidavit of Mitra Hall ( October 17, 1985). ↩
- See FBI Complaint filed against GA by Scientologist Mitra Hall. ↩
Declaration of Gerry Armstrong (October 23, 1985)
DECLARATION OF GERALD ARMSTRONG
I, Gerald Armstrong, hereby declare:
1. At approximately 4:10 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 1985, I received a call at work from a man who identified himself as Tim Leonard with the FBI in Boston. Mr. Leonard informed me that someone had filed a complaint with the FBI accusing me of a crime. On my insistence he acknowledged that Scientology was involved in the matter. I agreed to be interviewed by him today at 11:00 a.m.
2. I met today with Mr. Leonard who showed me his FBI identification card. During the interview, Mr. Leonard informed me that the charge he was investigating was “impersonation of an FBI agent.” He would not tell me who had filed the complaint; however, he did inform me of the following details:
A. The alleged incident occurred on Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 p.m. near the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line Auditorium stop in Boston.
B. My accuser was a “body router” for Scientology, handing out cards for the organization’s “free personality test.”
C. My accuser stated that he approached me to get me
-1-
to come in for a free personality test and I said “I’m an FBI agent. I know all about your organization. Ron is hiding out even from his own people. We’re going to wipe you out within two years.”
D. My accuser returned to the Boston organization and with the assistance of his seniors identified me as the individual to whom he had “spoken.”
E. My accuser stated that I was with another individual. Mr. Leonard did not have a physical dscription of this individual, and did not know if the individual was male or female.
3. I have never impersonated, nor identified myself as an FBI agent or any other government official or employee at any time. I have never led anyone to believe by any act on my part that I was an FBI agent or a government official or employee.
4. On October 13, 1985, at 2:.00 p.m., I was at my residence, writing. I did not travel anywhere all day.
5. I was not at the location described to me by Mr. Leonard on October 13. In fact, I have never been to that location in Boston, nor anywhere close to that location.
6. I have never talked to, since my arrival in Boston,
-2-
anyone whom I knew to be, or identified himself or herself as, a Scientologist. Since coming to Boston I have never to my knowledge been approached by a Scientology “body router.”
7. The criminal complaint by the Scientology organization is completely false. Any “evidence” is “manufactured” pursuant to L. Ron Hubbard’s policy attached hereto as Exhibit [A], which states:
“If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace.”L. Ron Hubbard HCOPL 8/15/60
8. This is not the first time Hubbard or Scientology has sought to bring phony charges against me. They attempted the same using the Los Angeles Police Department in 1983 during the pendency of my civil lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
I declare under the penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed this 23rd day of October, 1985 at Boston, Massachusetts.
[Signed] Gerald Armstrong
GERALD ARMSTRONG
Letter from Roger Geller to FBI SA Tim Leonard (October 22, 1985)
Geller & Weinberg
ATTORNEYS AT LAW –
Eighty Boylston Street Suite 910
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(617)482-5200October 22, 1985
Tim Leonard, Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation
JFK Federal Building
Government Center
Boston, MA 02203Re: Complaint againt Gerald Armstrong
Dear Mr. Leonard:
In both my conversation with you yesterday and my discussion with Agent Graham on October 17, 1985, I pointed out that 18 U.S.C. §912 does cover the actions of Mr. Armstrong which are the subject of Ms. Hall’s complaint.
Apparently the Bureau is not terribly interested in bringing formal charges against Mr. Armstrong for his use of the Bureau’s name in his attempt to harass Ms. Hall.
As I have indicated, Mr. Armstrong has claimed to be close to the Bureau for some time now. Obviously, if he were an agent and/or employee of the Bureau, what he has done would not be a crime.
Therefore, please confirm or deny that Mr. Armstrong is or was an agent or employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Roger GellerRG/clm
ROGER GELLER * PHILIP M. WEINBERG * JUDY WHISNANT