A New Hampshire man who federal prosecutors say orchestrated a scheme to harass and intimidate two New Hampshire Public Radio journalists was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Monday.
U.S District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Eric Labarge to 46 months in prison with three years of supervised release, plus a $10,000 fine, and $34,139 in restitution. The restitution is meant to cover the cost of repairing the damage from the vandalism, installing home security systems, and security enhancements NHPR made to its building following the incidents.
“The impact of these attacks transcended the harm done to NHPR and to our people,” said Jim Schachter, president and CEO of NHPR, in an interview on Tuesday. “They fed into a wave of attacks meant to silence journalism and stifle the freedom of the press.”
In July, Labarge, 46, of Nashua. N.H., pleaded guilty to five charges of conspiracy and stalking. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.
“Mr. Labarge was the ringleader of a targeted, terror campaign that caused the victims—journalists exercising the First Amendment rights and the families —incredible fear and emotional harm,” said Joshua Levy, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, in a press release.
Labarge was one of four men indicted for vandalizing the homes of two NHPR journalists — senior reporter Lauren Chooljian and news director Dan Barrick — as well as the home of Chooljian’s parents. On two evenings in 2022, the men threw bricks and rocks through windows and spray painted intimidating messages on the homes, according to court records.
Chooljian and Barrick declined to comment on Labarge’s sentencing.
The vandalism occurred after Chooljian published an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Eric Spofford, the founder of Granite Recovery Centers, a prominent addiction treatment center in New Hampshire. Labarge, who federal prosecutors say recruited and paid the other men to carry out the vandalism, is a close friend of Spofford.
Spofford has denied involvement in the vandalism. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Spofford, who also denied the sexual misconduct allegations, filed a defamation claim against NHPR in 2022. A judge dismissed that case last year, ruling that Spofford failed to provide evidence that NHPR acted with “actual malice” in their reporting — a legal standard used in defamation cases against public figures.
Labarge’s sentence was almost exactly what federal prosecutors requested in their sentencing memo, and nine months more than what Labarge’s attorney requested.
In a memo filed with the court, Labarge’s attorney asked the judge to impose a 37-month prison sentence, citing Labarge’s commitment to improve himself and “overcome the demons of drug abuse, mental illness, and an extraordinarily difficult childhood and early adult life.”
Labarge “deeply regrets” his actions and accepts full responsibility, his attorney wrote in the sentencing memo.
The other three men involved in the vandalism, Tucker Cockerline, Michael Waselchuck and Keenan Saniatan, have all pleaded guilty to charges related to the incidents. Cockerline was sentenced to 27 months in prison, and Waselchuck received a 21-month sentence. Saniatan will be sentenced in December, according to federal prosecutors.
Vermont Public reported and edited this story independently, at the request of the NHPR newsroom. No NHPR staff or leadership had oversight or reviewed the story before it was published.
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