Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s news release:
BOSTON – The founder and former Chief Executive Officer of a for-profit drug and alcohol treatment company, Granite Recover Centers in New Hampshire, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly orchestrating a conspiracy to stalk journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio in retaliation for unfavorable reporting.
Eric Spofford, 40, of Salem, N.H. and Miami, Fla., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce; one count of stalking using a facility of interstate commerce; and two counts of stalking through interstate travel. Spofford was arrested Friday afternoon and will appear in federal court in Boston at 3:30 p.m. on June 2, 2025.
Spofford was the founder and former CEO of GRC, a for-profit drug and alcohol treatment company founded in New Hampshire in 2008. According to court documents, in March 2022, NHPR published an article on its website that detailed multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, abusive leadership and retaliation by Spofford during his time as CEO of GRC. The article garnered significant local and national media attention. Spofford publicly denied the allegations and later sued NHPR, claiming defamation. A New Hampshire judge dismissed Spofford’s lawsuit in 2023.
Beginning on or about March 2022 and continuing through at least May 2022, Spofford allegedly devised a scheme to harass and terrorize the journalist who authored the article, the journalist’s immediate family members, as well as a senior editor at NHPR in response to, and in retaliation for, NHPR’s reporting. It is alleged that the scheme involved vandalizing the victims’ homes at night with large rocks and bricks, and by spray painting the homes with lewd and threatening language.
Editor’s note: Spofford’s attorney Michael Strauss had no comment Friday night. Jim Schachter, president and chief executive officer of New Hampshire Public Radio, said: “Attacks on journalists have no place in American life. Everyone at New Hampshire Public Radio is grateful to the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for their persistence in pursuing Eric Spofford and his associates. His attempt to silence NHPR’s reporting on abuses of power in the addiction recovery industry failed, as should every attempt to snuff out press freedom.”
Spofford allegedly hired his close friend, Eric Labarge, to carry out the scheme. Among other things, Spofford allegedly provided Labarge with the victims’ addresses, gave Labarge specific instructions on how to harass and stalk the victims and paid Labarge $20,000 in cash. Labarge, in turn, obtained assistance from Tucker Cockerline, Keenan Saniatan and Michael Waselchuck to carry out the stalking campaign.
Labarge, Cockerline, Saniatan and Waselchuck were previously charged for their involvement in the harassment campaign and have since been convicted. In November 2024, Labarge was sentenced to 46 months in prison; in August 2024, Cockerline was sentenced to 27 months in prison; in December 2024, Saniatan was sentenced to 30 months in prison and; in September 2024, Waselchuck was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Each count of the Indictment provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord, Hampstead and Hanover, New Hampshire Police Departments; the Melrose, Massachusetts Police Department; and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Torey B. Cummings of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.