Tanja and Stefan Castle tell their story.
Tanja Castle grew up in Scientology and joined the "Sea Org," Scientology's elite religious order, where she met and married her husband, Stefan.
"When I went into the Sea Organization, I knew I was making sacrifices and I was happy to do so," Tanja told Eyewitness News.
She spent 13 years working as executive secretary to top church leader David Miscavige, best friend and best man to Tom Cruise -- and known to be a volatile, demanding leader.
Over time, Stefan says he fell out of favor with David Miscavige.
"It basically came down to Tanja was more his secretary than she was my wife," said Stefan. "By miles."
Tanja says over the years she was pressured by church officials to "disconnect" from Stefan and end their marriage.
"Why that had to be destroyed... you don't have to destroy peoples' marriages," said Tanja.
Disconnection is the term the church uses to describe how some scientologists cut off communication with family members or friends who choose to leave the church. The church told Eyewitness News in a statement that disconnection is a "self-determined decision" and "voluntary."
"Just relentlessly, for years and years, I was being told what a bad person he was, how suppressive and how evil," said Tanja.
In 1999, Stefan was assigned to Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (R.P.F.) for alleged financial misconduct and violations of the church's moral code -- charges he strongly denies. He was in for three years and nine months.
The church calls the R.P.F. a voluntary program of religious retreat and rehabilitation and says Stefan agreed in writing to participate. But critics and some former Scientologists say the R.P.F. is a punishment program and have compared it to a labor camp.
"Work carried on overnight," said Stefan. "For several occasions I was up for about five days straight."
"We were first discouraged, and then not allowed to communicate with each other, or see each other, or be a married couple," said Tanja.
Tanja says the still married couple defied those orders, staying in touch by cell phone. But Tanja says when David Miscavige found out in the summer of 2004, she was demoted, their cell phones were taken away and Tanja was sent to live in near-isolation in a remote corner of Scientology's sprawling International Base near Hemet.
"Somebody was watching me all the time and I got my meals brought to me by a security guard," said Tanja.
The church denies this, telling us in a statement that Tanja "lived in an apartment in town or a house rented or owned by the church on a public street and traveled to and from work every day."
"
I was doing some sort of manual labor during the day," said Tanja.
But Eyewitness News spoke with four former church members who all tell us they saw Tanja living in an old trailer in the "Old Gilman House" area of the base between 2004 and 2006.
In the fall of 2004, Tanja says she couldn't take it anymore and she jumped the fence surrounding the Scientology base.
"There's razor barrier along the top," said Tanja, "but I managed to get myself over without hurting myself too much. I walked down Highway 79 -- one of the security guards saw me."
Tanja says that security guard alerted Scientology executives, two of whom she claims followed her down the highway in a van.
"She grabbed my arm," said Tanja. "I started shouting and told them to leave me alone."
But Tanja says the Scientology executives eventually convinced her to get in the van and return to the church.
"I was really concerned about getting into a situation where they would try to take me back," said Tanja.
The church says any allegation Tanja was followed is a lie.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news&id=8730424
Tanja Castle grew up in Scientology and joined the "Sea Org," Scientology's elite religious order, where she met and married her husband, Stefan.
"When I went into the Sea Organization, I knew I was making sacrifices and I was happy to do so," Tanja told Eyewitness News.
She spent 13 years working as executive secretary to top church leader David Miscavige, best friend and best man to Tom Cruise -- and known to be a volatile, demanding leader.
Over time, Stefan says he fell out of favor with David Miscavige.
"It basically came down to Tanja was more his secretary than she was my wife," said Stefan. "By miles."
Tanja says over the years she was pressured by church officials to "disconnect" from Stefan and end their marriage.
"Why that had to be destroyed... you don't have to destroy peoples' marriages," said Tanja.
Disconnection is the term the church uses to describe how some scientologists cut off communication with family members or friends who choose to leave the church. The church told Eyewitness News in a statement that disconnection is a "self-determined decision" and "voluntary."
"Just relentlessly, for years and years, I was being told what a bad person he was, how suppressive and how evil," said Tanja.
In 1999, Stefan was assigned to Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (R.P.F.) for alleged financial misconduct and violations of the church's moral code -- charges he strongly denies. He was in for three years and nine months.
The church calls the R.P.F. a voluntary program of religious retreat and rehabilitation and says Stefan agreed in writing to participate. But critics and some former Scientologists say the R.P.F. is a punishment program and have compared it to a labor camp.
"Work carried on overnight," said Stefan. "For several occasions I was up for about five days straight."
"We were first discouraged, and then not allowed to communicate with each other, or see each other, or be a married couple," said Tanja.
Tanja says the still married couple defied those orders, staying in touch by cell phone. But Tanja says when David Miscavige found out in the summer of 2004, she was demoted, their cell phones were taken away and Tanja was sent to live in near-isolation in a remote corner of Scientology's sprawling International Base near Hemet.
"Somebody was watching me all the time and I got my meals brought to me by a security guard," said Tanja.
The church denies this, telling us in a statement that Tanja "lived in an apartment in town or a house rented or owned by the church on a public street and traveled to and from work every day."
"
I was doing some sort of manual labor during the day," said Tanja.
But Eyewitness News spoke with four former church members who all tell us they saw Tanja living in an old trailer in the "Old Gilman House" area of the base between 2004 and 2006.
In the fall of 2004, Tanja says she couldn't take it anymore and she jumped the fence surrounding the Scientology base.
"There's razor barrier along the top," said Tanja, "but I managed to get myself over without hurting myself too much. I walked down Highway 79 -- one of the security guards saw me."
Tanja says that security guard alerted Scientology executives, two of whom she claims followed her down the highway in a van.
"She grabbed my arm," said Tanja. "I started shouting and told them to leave me alone."
But Tanja says the Scientology executives eventually convinced her to get in the van and return to the church.
"I was really concerned about getting into a situation where they would try to take me back," said Tanja.
The church says any allegation Tanja was followed is a lie.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news&id=8730424
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