Arrest and Trial in Spain
In 1988 Heber Jentzsch was arrested in Spain along with 69 other members of the organization. Jentzsch was incarcerated in a Spanish jail for about three weeks. He was released and fled to the United States after Scientology paid a bail bond of approximately $1 million. Sixteen people, including Jentzsch, were charged with "illegal association" and various other crimes including tax fraud and endangering public health. The trial of the indictees began in February 2001, but Jentzsch himself did not turn up; the prosecution called for him to be given a 56-year prison sentence. However, the Madrid Provincial Court threw out all but the conspiracy charge and eventually ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove this charge as well. In April 2002, the charge was formally dropped. The court also ordered that the bail bond deposited for his release in 1988 be returned to the Church along with interest, which nearly doubled the original amount.
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