President of Scientology's Ex-Wife Says 'It's A Pay As You Go Religion'
Jul. 10 2012, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
By Jen Heger - RadarOnline.com Assistant Managing Editor
Karen de la Carriere, the ex-wife of the president of Scientology and former church member tells RadarOnline.com exclusively that during a period of two to three years, she gave over $300k to the controversial organization and claims that "it's a pay as you go religion."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, de la Carriere's son, Alexander, from her relationship with ex-husband and Scientology president, Heber Jentzsch, was found dead last week after allegedly having a high fever. The Los Angeles County Coroner told RadarOnline.com that Nyquil and several prescription bottles were recovered from the scene. The 27-year-old was also a Scientologist and was married to another church member. Karen de la Carriere claims she was blocked from seeing her son's body at the Los Angeles County Morgue. Alexander's wife is the next of kin, and under California law she has control over what will happen to Alexander's body.
"Scientology is a pay as you go religion. Over a two to three year period, I gave over $300,000 to the Church," de la Carriere tells RadarOnline.com. "I was an Operating Thetan Level VII, and when you reach that level you are required to go to Clearwater, Florida, every six months for a sec check, which is a security check.
"The sec check is done with an auditor, and a report is prepared. That report is then given to an ethics officer and you are heavily pressured to compensate for your evils. These security checks cost $20-30k per session. As a Scientologist you want to get to OT Level VIII, at which point your mind is deemed clear of evil thoughts. However, getting to OT VIII can take years, decades. Once you reach OT VII, it could be 10-15 years before you make it to OT VIII. OT VII can go on for years."
De la Carriere was a member of the Sea Org for over ten years and left that group of Scientology in the late 90s, and began her journey into the OT program. However, she ultimately decided to leave the religion for good in 2010. Once she formally left, she says that her son Alexander was forced to disconnect from her. Karen also alleges that her ex-husband hasn't been seen in public since 2004. "Heber is being held in The Hole at Scientology International Headquarters in Hemet, California. It's like a prison, and that is where he is," de la Carriere alleges.
"One of the reasons I stayed for as long as I did was because I knew that once I decided to leave, I would lose my son, and I was right, I did. After I formally left he called me and told me to never call, text, email, or attempt to communicate with him in any way until I got approval from the Office of Special Affairs. He told me he had to disconnect from me. Alexander sounded very odd when he said this to me and I know that other people were listening to our phone call because I could hear noise in the background. Sadly, that was the last time I ever talked to him. I was hopeful that over time, I would be able to win my son back and that he would allow me into his life," de la Carreire says.
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"The sec checks are videotaped and so are the auditing sessions. They say they do this for quality control, does that sound normal to you? It's more of an investigative tool and you are made to feel like a devious person," the grief stricken mother says.
Alexander Jentzsch was de la Carriere's only child, and she doesn't want his death to be in vain. "If I can save another family from going through this horrific nightmare, I will. I don't want his death to go unnoticed. I don't want Alexander to be forgotten," she says.
Mystery Surrounds Whereabouts Of Scientology Chief's Wife, Not Been Seen For Five Years
Toxicology reports could reveal what the cause of Alexander's death was. Those results are expected to be released in the next four-six weeks.
The Church of Scientology didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
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