The founder and former CEO of Granite Recovery Centers, Eric Spofford, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston. The indictment accuses Spofford of orchestrating a conspiracy to stalk journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) as retaliation for unfavorable reporting.
Spofford, 40, who resides in Salem, New Hampshire, and Miami, Florida, faces charges including 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. He was arrested and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on June 2, 2025.
Granite Recovery Centers is a for-profit drug and alcohol treatment company founded by Spofford in New Hampshire in 2008. In March 2022, NHPR published an article detailing allegations against Spofford related to sexual misconduct and abusive leadership during his tenure at GRC. Following the publication, Spofford denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against NHPR which was dismissed by a judge in 2023.
According to court documents, from March to May 2022, Spofford allegedly devised a plan to harass the journalist who wrote the article along with their family members and a senior editor at NHPR. The alleged harassment included vandalizing homes with rocks and spray painting threatening messages.
Spofford is accused of hiring Eric Labarge to execute this scheme. It is alleged that Spofford provided Labarge with the victims’ addresses and paid him $20,000 for carrying out the plan. Labarge then enlisted Tucker Cockerline, Keenan Saniatan, and Michael Waselchuck for assistance.
Labarge has already been sentenced to 46 months in prison for his involvement. Cockerline received a sentence of 27 months; Saniatan was sentenced to 30 months; while Waselchuck received a sentence of 21 months.
Each charge against Spofford carries potential penalties including up to five years in prison per count, three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley alongside Kimberly Milka from the FBI’s Boston Division. The investigation received support from various police departments across New Hampshire and Massachusetts as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Torey B. Cummings are handling prosecution duties.
The charges are currently allegations pending proof beyond reasonable doubt in court.
