Paris Court Convicts Scientology Church for Fraud

Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The French branch of the Church of Scientology was convicted of organized fraud by a Paris court.

The Scientology Celebrity Center and a related bookshop in Paris were fined a total of 650,000 euros ($967,890) today. The court didn’t restrict the church’s activities in France and didn’t order jail time for directors.

“No one recruited or sold for their own benefit, it was all for the organization,” said Judge Sophie-Helene Chateau, reading the decision. “It is more expedient to punish with a large fine and by alerting future members with widespread publication of the ruling.”