EXCLUSIVE: How Scientology-Linked Attorney General Pam Bondi 'Made Huge Legal Problem Disappear' for Church's Leading Light John Travolta
Pam Bondi reportedly made a significant legal problem vanish for John Travolta.
Nov. 13 2025, Published 9:54 p.m. ET
Pam Bondi is facing mounting scrutiny over her longstanding ties to the Church of Scientology – and new questions about how a legal headache for Scientology celebrity John Travolta appeared to quietly vanish after her recent appointment of a key ally to a senior federal role.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, U.S. Attorney General Bondi – a vocal Trump ally and evangelical Christian – has maintained public connections with the controversial church since at least 2010, according to multiple sources.
Bondi's Ally Shifts Travolta Case to Federal Court
Pam Bondi faces scrutiny over her ties to the Church of Scientology.
According to journalist and Scientology watcher Tony Ortega, who posts his forensic examinations of the organization on The Underground Bunker site, Bondi's recent decision to install a former Greenberg Traurig lawyer, Gregory Kehoe, as interim U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida effectively shifted a criminal case that risked embarrassing Travolta out of state court and into federal hands.
Ortega says the move wiped away attempts to question the actor under oath.
The complex case centers on Hollywood icon and leading Scientology member Travolta's former pilots, Jean-Paul Lacruz Romero, 29, and Jordan Coursey, who were accused in 2024 of defrauding the actor's aviation company, Constellation Productions, of nearly $800,000 in inflated fuel invoices.
In January 2025, a witness list was filed naming Travolta and his longtime trainer James Marino, saying they could testify about "living arrangements" at Travolta's Ocala estate and fuel-purchase practices.
Romero's lawyer said: "Often the pilots, as a condition of their employment, would spend the night in accommodations provided by, and accessed by, Mr. Travolta while traveling or while making preflight arrangements."
Lawyers Attempt to Depose Travolta and Trainer
Questions arose after a legal case involving John Travolta’s pilots shifted to federal court.
The lawyer added: "Additionally, Mr. Travolta would be a primary witness, as being the person having the most in-person conversations and interactions with the pilots regarding aircraft maintenance, aviation fuel, necessary aircraft supplies and flight plans."
Prosecutors moved swiftly to block the request for Travolta to be made a witness – even asking for a closed-door hearing to prevent the actor and Marino from being deposed.
As a timeline around the case on Ortega's site shows, the matter took a sudden turn when Bondi appointed Kehoe to the top federal prosecutor post covering Travolta's home jurisdiction.
Within months, the pilots' case was transferred from state to federal court under Kehoe's oversight, resetting proceedings and voiding Barone's witness list.
Ortega said: "Bondi has developed a strong connection with Scientology, although she herself belongs to an evangelical Protestant church in the Tampa area. Wealthy Scientologists have raised money for Bondi, who attends fundraisers at their homes."
State Case Wiped Away by Federal Indictment
Observers said Bondi has long-standing connections with wealthy Scientologists.
He added: "On January 7, 2025, Jean-Paul LaCruz Romero's very clever defense attorney, Jo Barone, files a witness list that includes Scientology celebrity John Travolta and his live-in trainer, Jimmy Marino.
"Barone intends to depose both of them in the case and specifically to ask about sleeping arrangements at Travolta's Ocala house.
"(The pilots accused of bilking Travolta often stayed over at the house between flights.)
"The state attorney's office freaks out, not only opposing Barone's motion, but also asking the court to consider holding a hearing behind closed doors about its opposition to deposing Travolta and Marino.
"Barone then explains in another filing how utterly unusual this request for a private hearing is, and the state attorney backs down."
Ortega went on to highlight how the U.S. Attorney's office in the Middle District of Florida – under Bondi-appointed Gregory Kehoe – secured a grand jury indictment of pilots Jean-Paul LaCruz Romero and Jordan Coursey, who were already being prosecuted in state court for the same alleged crime.
He said: "On October 27, 2025, the prosecution of LaCruz Romero and Coursey is officially moved from state to federal court.
"Jo Barone's attempt to depose John Travolta and Jimmy Marino is wiped away as the criminal case starts over again from scratch, and the two pilots get new attorneys.
"The federal court sets trial for December 1, and orders the government to turn over any exculpatory discovery to the defense.
"No mention of a deposition of victim John Travolta or his special friend Jimmy Marino is mentioned."
Scrutiny Over Bondi's Scientology Ties
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Critics claimed her appointment raises concerns about impartiality in Scientology-related cases.
Ortega also joked about how he believes the sudden twist in the case is down to Bondi's Scientology links: "See how that works, kids? JT and Jimmy can breathe easy."
Bondi's connections to Scientology stretch back over a decade. She gave a 2016 speech at Scientology's Fort Harrison Hotel praising its "anti-trafficking" efforts, and in 2014 attended a fundraiser hosted by six prominent Scientologists.
Critics say Bondi's new role "amplifies concerns about her impartiality over Scientology cases."
