In Concord, New Hampshire, the founder and former head of the state’s largest network of addiction treatment facilities has been charged with masterminding a campaign of threats and vandalism aimed at journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio. These actions were reportedly a response to the reporters publishing allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Eric Spofford, who splits his time between Salem, New Hampshire, and Miami, was arrested on Friday. He faces accusations based on a federal grand jury indictment, which includes three counts of stalking and one count of conspiracy to commit stalking. His alleged accomplices, including the man he purportedly hired for the 2022 attacks, have already been convicted.
Prosecutors allege that multiple incidents took place in April and May 2022, targeting the homes of a New Hampshire Public Radio editor, a reporter, and the reporter’s parents. Homes were struck with bricks, stones, and defaced with red spray paint. Notably, a brick was thrown through the window of journalist Lauren Chooljian’s home in Massachusetts, where the threatening message “JUST THE BEGINNING!” was also scrawled in spray paint.
These retaliatory incidents followed Chooljian’s investigative report, which detailed allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Spofford—who had established Granite Recovery Centers in 2008 and later sold the company in 2021. Spofford has refuted the claims and took legal action against the journalists, filing a defamation lawsuit that was subsequently dismissed by the court.
Spofford’s legal defense remains undetermined in light of the charges. He was slated for a preliminary court session in Boston on Monday. Attempts to contact his previous attorney went unanswered.
According to the prosecution, Spofford allegedly enlisted his friend, Eric Labarge, to carry out the vandalism by paying him $20,000 and providing detailed instructions along with the addresses. Labarge is currently serving a prison term of 46 months. The three additional men implicated in the attacks received various sentences, each ranging from 21 to 30 months in incarceration.