Feds charge three N.H. men with harassment, stalking of radio journalists; probable cause is retaliation for a story

A screenshot from security-camera footage shows one of the vandals.
(Middlesex County District Attorney/YouTube via WBUR)

After a year-long federal investigation, "Three New Hampshire men have been charged in connection with a conspiracy to harass and intimidate two New Hampshire Public Radio journalists — incidents that allegedly involved repeated threats and vandalism to their homes over a year ago," reports Roberta Baker of the New Hampshire Union Leader. "Tucker Cockerline, 32, of Salem, Michael Waselchuck, 35, of Seabrook, and Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua conspired to commit stalking through interstate travel."

Anthony Brooks of Boston's WBUR reports: "The case dates back to late April 2022, when a series of vandalism attacks began on the homes of journalist Lauren Chooljian of NHPR, her parents and her editor, Dan Barrick. In one of the attacks, Chooljian arrived at her home and discovered that a brick had been thrown through a front window. An apparent warning was spray painted in big red letters on her house: 'JUST THE BEGINNING!'. . . Similar attacks were made on Barrick's home and on Chooljian's parents' home. . . . Vandals also threw bricks through their windows and spray-painted profanities on the buildings."

Before the attacks, NHPR published a story by Chooljian "on allegations of sexual misconduct by Eric Spofford, founder of an extensive network of addiction rehabilitation centers in New Hampshire," Baker reports. Brooks noted, "According to Chooljian's reporting, since 2019, the state of New Hampshire has awarded Granite Recovery Centers, which Spofford founded and later sold, more than $3 million in no-bid contracts."

Spofford has denied any connection to the vandalism, but the indictment "refers to him as 'Subject 1' and alleges that an associate of his recruited at least two of the suspects to initiate the vandalism," Brooks reports. "According to the complaint, federal investigators concluded 'there is probable cause to believe that the vandalisms were retaliatory acts intended to harass and intimidate NHPR and its employees.' The complaint does not say if Spofford is or has been a target of the investigation. . . . NHPR has released a podcast, 'The 13th Step,' about the entire Spofford saga. The threats against the journalists have drawn national attention."

"Federal investigators spent more than a year putting the case together before making the arrests. . . . They tracked the use of Google searches by the suspects to determine that the attackers allegedly hunted for the homes of the journalists and their family members," Brooks reports. "Investigators also used cell phone records of the suspects to place them near the homes that were vandalized. Jim Schachter, chief executive of NHPR, told Brooks, "Journalists doing their jobs, reporting open-mindedly in the public interest, should not have to worry about threats of violence or attacks on their homes and their families."

"Last year, Spofford sued NHPR for defamation after Chooljian's investigation of his alleged misconduct was published," Brooks notes. "Cockerline's and Waselchuck's next hearing is scheduled for June 20. . . . Saniatan remains at large."