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Three NH men charged with conspiring to harass, intimidate two journalists
The suspects are accused of vandalizing the homes of NHPR journalists by hurling rocks and bricks and spray-painting a vulgar word and a threat.
Three New Hampshire men are facing charges related to the harassment and intimidation of two journalists who investigated reports of alleged sexual misconduct, according to officials.
The homes of the New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) journalists were vandalized when assailants threw rocks and bricks at their houses and the home of one of the victim’s family members, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The suspects also wrote vulgar words and a threatening message in spray paint on the homes.
Tucker Cockerline, 32, of Salem, N.H., Michael Waselchuck, 35, of Seabrook, N.H., and Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua, N.H., were each charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to commit stalking through interstate travel. Cockerline and Waselchuck were arrested Friday morning and appeared in Boston federal court that afternoon. Both were detained pending a hearing scheduled for June 20. Prosecutors said as of Friday, Saniatan remained at large.
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Prosecutors said the harassment began in the spring of 2022, shortly after the journalists, who were not named in the statement, reported on alleged sexual misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson, who was also not identified.
According to previous reporting, the journalists are reporter Lauren Chooljian and her editor Daniel Barrick. The business person is Eric Spofford, the founder and former owner of Granite Recovery Centers, New Hampshire’s largest network of addiction rehabilitation centers. Spofford has denied the allegations of sexual misconduct and has said he had nothing to do with the vandalism. He has filed a libel lawsuit against the journalists, NHPR, and others.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cockerline, Waselchuck, and Saniatan conspired with each other and with at least one other individual—who was allegedly a close associate of the businessperson—to retaliate against NHPR and the two journalists by vandalizing their homes. That individual was also not named in the statement.
Investigators said that on April 24, 2022, someone threw a brick through the front window of one of the victim’s former homes in Hanover, N.H. A vulgar word was spray-painted in large red letters on the front door, according to officials. Later that night, similar attacks happened at the home of the second journalist, as well as the home of one of their parents, according to the statement.
The alleged harassment resumed around 1 a.m. on May 21, according to prosecutors, when another act of vandalism happened at the home of one of the journalist’s parents. In that incident, officials said the same vulgar word was spray painted in large red letters on one of the garage doors, and a brick was found on the ground near the house. Hours later, just before 6 a.m., someone threw a brick through the window of the Melrose, Mass., home of one of the journalists, according to authorities. The assailant also spray-painted in large red letters on the front of the house, “JUST THE BEGINNING.”
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Prosecutors said Cockerline, Saniatan, and Waselchuck are responsible for committing all five acts of vandalism. If found guilty, the men face a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and restitution.
“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of any healthy democracy and these three men are now accused of infringing on that freedom by conspiring to harass and intimidate two New Hampshire journalists who were simply doing their jobs,” said Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division. “Everyone has a right to express their opinion, but taking it over the line and committing vandalism will not be tolerated.”
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