Scientology lawyer Kendrick Moxon denies witness tampering cited in Leah Remini lawsuit

It was a startling allegation that we wrote about on December 2: In Leah Remini’s answer to Scientology’s attempt to strike much of her lawsuit, she cited a court transcript with stunning allegations of witness tampering against longtime Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon.

In that transcript from a hearing that took place this past April 10, a public defender, Adella Gorgen, asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Garcia to exclude Moxon from the courtroom. Gorgen was defending a client named Armando Garcia, who was accused of trying to run over Scientology security guard Kenny Chandra with his car at Scientology’s LA headquarters on L. Ron Hubbard Way in 2022.

Gorgen told Judge Garcia that Moxon had approached her, offering to have the charges reduced to a misdemeanor if she would have her client testify that he’d been motivated to harm the guard by watching Leah Remini’s A&E network show, Scientology and the Aftermath. The testimony implied that this wasn’t true, and that Moxon was trying to get Garcia to say something simply to drag Remini and her show into the case.

And that was certainly the implication that Leah’s attorneys gave when they included that transcript in the response to Scientology’s attack on her lawsuit: “A few months ago, Scientology tried to make a deal with a public defender to frame Remini for the defendant’s alleged attack involving a Scientology security guard,” Leah’s attorneys wrote in their filing.

But now, Moxon himself has filed a sworn declaration, and he argues that this misrepresents what happened in the Armando Garcia case. He says that Garcia’s previous public defender, Justin Page, had indeed told him that Garcia was inflamed by watching Remini’s show.

We figured the best thing would just be to show you Moxon’s entire filing. Here it is…

I, Kendrick Moxon, hereby declare and state:

1. I have been a member of the California Bar since 1987 and a member of the District of Columbia Bar since 1984. I am not and have never been a member of the Sea Organization.

2. I make the following statements based upon my own personal knowledge, upon sworn testimony from Kenny Chandra in two hearings I attended, and upon statements made to me by attorney Justin Page and my review of surveillance video where indicated. If called to testify thereto, I could and would do so competently.

3. I read Plaintiff's Opposition to Defendants' Special Motion to Strike, where it falsely alleges that I "asked a public defender to have her client lie and say that his alleged assault involving a security guard for Scientology was 'inflamed' by Remini and her documentary 'is responsible for his actions.'" That statement is false.

4. On February 7, 2022, a man drove a white SUV to the Church of Scientology campus at Sunset Blvd. and L. Ron Hubbard Way in Los Angeles. The man, who I later learned was named Armando Garcia, threw 20 or so papers or flyers onto Church property. A Church security guard on bicycle, Kenny Chandra, asked Garcia to pick up his trash and leave. Garcia made derogatory statements regarding Scientology being evil and drove off in a white SUV. Several minutes later, Garcia drove his SUV straight at Chandra who had to jump off the bike in order to avoid being hit. Chandra saw Garcia through the open window and heard him laughing as he drove away. Garcia was located a block away and arrested by the LAPD.

5. Garcia was charged with a felony "Assault with a deadly weapon," pursuant to Penal Code 245(a)(1). After a preliminary hearing held on July 29, 2022, Garcia was held over to stand trial based on Chandra's testimony which was cross-examined by Garcia's court-appointed attorney, Justin Page.

6. On October 11, 2022, the matter was heard before the Hon. Terry Bork to address an asserted plea deal. I attended the hearing. Mr. Page announced that Garcia declined the plea offer and wanted to go to trial. The Court questioned Garcia to determine if he understood the import of his decision. Garcia then called Scientology a "Satanist" organization and said that he wanted to make people aware of "behavior that the Church utilizes against people that believe that their practices are not a true religion, which they aren't. It's a scam. It's a false religion" and "an abomination."

7. Mr. Page told Garcia to stop talking and the Court indicated he would immediately be tried. However, October 11 was the last day available under the early trial rules for trial, but the D/District Attorney said she was not prepared to try the case. Judge Bork suspended the matter until after lunch.

8. Immediately following the hearing, I spoke to Mr. Page in the court hallway. Mr. Page was annoyed that Garcia changed his mind and didn't take the plea deal, which would have allowed him to leave the court with no jail time and in the process, wasting Mr. Page's time. I asked Mr. Page why Garcia was so prejudiced against Scientology. Mr. Page said Garcia told him he had watched the Leah Remini show for years and demanded that he, Page, also watch the shows to "understand" Garcia's view of Scientology. Mr. Page told me he refused to watch the shows, saying everyone is entitled to their own religion and that the case was about an alleged assault, not religion. Mr. Page said the Remini show was the only specific Garcia voiced for his prejudice against Scientology.

9. At 1:30 pm, the case was called again in Dept. 128. The D/District Attorney announced the People were indeed unable to proceed with trial that day, but would immediately re-file the action. The Court granted the People's request to hold Garcia over for the filing of a new action against him. The case was accordingly dismissed and Garcia was transferred back to Department 30 for arraignment on the new charges.

10. The new trial was set for April 6, 2023. By this time, Garcia had a new Public Defender, Adella Gorgen.

11. On April 6, 2023, I was present at the schedule courtroom and was introduced to Ms. Gorgen as new defense counsel. I told her I understood Garcia had become prejudiced by watching the Remini show. I told her many others had been inflamed by the show, and committed criminal acts and threats against the Church. I told her I didn't know if the victim had any influence, but that if my understanding was correct, I would be willing to inform the District Attorney's Office that Mr. Chandra had no objection to a misdemeanor deal if Garcia truthfully revealed on the record what caused his hatred.

12. That afternoon, I received an email from Ms. Gorgen asking to confirm that if Garcia went on the record to state that he was inspired by the Leah Remini show on the date of the incident, that I would speak to the District Attorney's Office to suggest a misdemeanor or lesser charge.

13. I responded to the email on April 7, 2023, stating, "I am amenable to speak to the DA's office to recommend a misdemeanor or lesser charge if Mr. Garcia makes a truthful statement on the record that he was inflamed or motivated by the show to come to the Church because of it. If I am mistaken and that the show is not what inflamed Mr. Garcia, obviously I would not want him to say so on the record." My full email stated:

To confirm our conversations: the evidence indicates that Mr. Garcia knowingly drove his car at the Church of Scientology security guard, and was charged for that act.

Mr. Garcia expressed substantial animus toward Scientology at an earlier hearing in this case, and I was informed that he watched the episodes and was strongly influenced by the show, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath to come to the Church the night of the incident at issue. The acts at issue unfolded thereafter. Many other persons have been inflamed by the allegations in the show and committed or threatened acts of violence arising out of it. A security guard at one church was murdered, inspired by Remini. [This has definitively been proven to be a lie — ed.] A woman drove her car through the front doors of a Church, and publicly identified Remini as her inspiration. There have been many other threats. So your client is one of many who have unfortunately become enraged by this staged, but inaccurate "reality show."

In light of that, and the great harm caused by such persons, I confirm that on behalf of the victim, I am amenable to speak to the DA's office to recommend a misdemeanor or lesser charge if Mr. Garcia makes a truthful statement on the record that he was inflamed or motivated by the show to come to the Church because of it. If I am mistaken and that the show was not what inflamed Mr. Garcia, obviously I would not want him to say so on the record.

14. Ms. Gorgen did not respond to my email. Rather, on April 10, Ms. Gorgen moved to have me excluded with a false rendition of our communication. She did not provide the email to the Court. I was unaware of Ms. Gorgen's misrepresentations to the Court until I reviewed the claims made in Ms. Remini's Opposition to the special motion to strike.

15. The afternoon of April 10, 2023, a plea offer was accepted by Garcia with a no-contest plea and Garcia was thus found guilty of misdemeanor assault against Mr. Chandra.

16. I only sought the truth as to why Garcia was so inflamed against Scientology that he would try to run down a Scientologist with his car.

I declare under the penalty of perjury of the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.

Signed this 22nd day of December, 2023, in Los Angeles, California

Kendrick Moxon

On January 9, a hearing will be held in Leah’s lawsuit, and Scientology’s motion to strike will be considered. We have a feeling the court will be focused on larger questions raised by Scientology’s attack on the lawsuit and Leah’s responses.

We doubt that Moxon and these allegations will be discussed in that hearing at all. But it is interesting to see his reply, and to get some more detail on what happened in the Armando Garcia case.

And again, all we can offer is this suggestion: Even if you are inspired by Leah’s work, please do not harass, yell at, or in any other way attack Scientologists who are doing their jobs.

Scientology is an organization that does great harm, and it deserves to be investigated and exposed for it. But you don’t help someone like Leah Remini do that with vigilante actions.

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