Boston, May 31, 2025 — Federal authorities have arrested Eric Spofford, the former CEO of Granite Recovery Centers, on charges related to a conspiracy to stalk and intimidate journalists who investigated his conduct while leading New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Spofford, 40, allegedly orchestrated a harassment campaign targeting journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) in retaliation for a 2022 investigative report that included multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
Spofford, a former heroin addict who founded Granite Recovery Centers and grew it into a major recovery service provider, publicly denied the allegations at the time and later filed a defamation lawsuit against NHPR. He claimed the outlet’s reporting damaged his reputation and business interests, saying that financial institutions cut ties, vendors withdrew, and political relationships deteriorated. A state court dismissed his lawsuit in 2023.
The Justice Department alleges that beginning around March 2022, Spofford conspired with others to intimidate the journalist who authored the report, the journalist’s family members, and a senior NHPR editor. Spofford is accused of paying longtime associate Eric Labarge $20,000 in cash to organize acts of harassment, which included vandalizing the victims’ homes with lewd graffiti and throwing rocks and bricks.
One instance involved the phrase “JUST THE BEGINNING” spray-painted on the reporter’s home, according to WBUR.
Labarge allegedly hired Tucker Cockerline, Keenan Saniatan, and Michael Waselchuck to carry out the acts of intimidation. All four individuals have since been charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison for their roles in the scheme.
Spofford reportedly sold Granite Recovery Centers for a nine-figure sum in 2021. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Monday. CBS News has reached out to his representatives for comment.
Jim Schachter, President and CEO of NHPR, thanked federal authorities for pursuing the case. “Attacks on journalists have no place in American life,” Schachter said in a statement to CBS News. “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.”
