A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty Thursday in a scheme to "harass and intimidate" two New Hampshire Public Radio journalists in response to a story they published, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Massachusetts.
Michael Waselchuck, 36, of Seabrook, New Hampshire, was accused of working with three other men to target the two journalists in response to an NHPR piece published in 2022.
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Waselchuck was arrested in June 2023 with two others - Tucker Cockerline and Keenan Saniatan. Another co-conspirator, Eric Labarage, was later identified and arrested. All four were indicted by a federal grand jury in September.
According to federal prosecutors, after a year-long investigation, a New Hampshire Public Radio journalist published an article in March of 2022 on NHPR's website detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson, who is only named as "Subject 1" in the charging documents. Another NHPR journalist contributed to the article.
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Labarge, who prosecutors allege is a close personal associate of Subject 1, is accused of soliciting the three other men to vandalize the homes of both victims and a victim's relative, in multiple incidents in April and May of 2022. The vandalism included lewd graffiti, threatening messages, and throwing rocks and bricks at the home.
Specifically, Waselchuck was accused of vandalizing the victim's home on May 18, 2022, and of throwing a brick, painted with the phrase "JUST THE BEGINNING" through the window of the victim's home on May 20, 2022, among other things.
Waselchuck pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and the use of a facility of interstate commerce. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 10, 2024.
Cockerline previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and the use of a facility of interstate commerce. Each charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years supervised release and $250,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for March 19, 2024.
