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The 13th Step: Feds Arrest Eric Spofford
00:27:22
Big news on another podcast from the team behind Bear Brook: The 13th Step. That series investigates allegations of sexual misconduct against Eric Spofford, the founder of a major addiction treatment provider in New England, allegations Spofford denies. Now, federal prosecutors say Spofford organized violent acts of vandalism against Lauren, her parents and her editor, all in hopes of shutting that reporting down.
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- [00:01]
Eduardo
This is your moment, your time to shine your comeback. You're ready for the next step in your career and you want an education employer's respect. So you're not just going back to school. You're coming back with Purdue Global. Backed by Purdue University, one of the nation's most respected public universities, Purdue Global is built for people who bring their life experience into the online classroom. Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults Start your Comeback today at PurdueGlobal. Eduardo.
- [00:32]
Todd Bookman
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- [01:05]
Eduardo
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- [01:33]
Todd Bookman
Todd I'm Todd Bookman, a reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. For the last six months, I've been thinking a lot about a cat named Sergeant Tibbs who goes missing, who's then found, and who would land at the center of so much human pain, anger, and confusion. It's not about the cat anymore. It's just about everything else. The Final Days of Sergeant Tibbs, a new podcast from NHPR about what we owe our pets and each other. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:04]
Jason Moon
Hey, it's Jason Moon. There's big news on another podcast I work on called the 13th Step. If you haven't listened, the 13th Step investigates claims of sexual misconduct against the founder and former CEO of a major addiction treatment provider in New England. It's hosted by my colleague Lauren Chulgin. Last year, the series was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The former CEO at the center of this story, a guy named Eric Spofford, denied the allegations of sexual misconduct. He sued us for defamation and lost. But that wasn't all. About a month after we published, People's homes started getting attacked. Lauren's house, her parents house, our editor's house. A house Lauren used to live in. Five separate attacks. Bricks through windows. The C word spray painted in red on doors. At Lauren's house, someone smashed a huge window and wrote just the beginning underneath it. At the time, Eric Spofford denied any involvement in these attacks. And then several days ago, he was arrested by the FBI. If you want to know what happens next, just keep listening. We're putting the latest episode of the thirteenth Step right here in the Bear Brook Feedback. When you're finished, if you haven't already, I'd highly recommend going back and listening to the entire series. Just search for the thirteenth Step wherever you get your podcasts. Previously on the thirteenth Step.
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Lauren Chooljian
This company really focuses and operates on integrity. We pride ourselves on doing the right thing.
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Andrea
What he ended up being like was like the supreme commander of recovery.
- [03:52]
Todd Bookman
Did you want that to happen? No. But I also didn't know how to tell him no.
- [04:01]
Brian Stays
Here's your company credit card. Here's all your keys. Do not under any circumstance ever contact me again.
- [04:12]
Todd Bookman
Where does it say that? Can you tell? Can you say that to me one more time? It says just the beginning under the window. Police are searching for that suspect right there, who they say targeted a reporter and people tied to her at least four times now. Eric LaBarge, Tucker Cockerline, Michael Waselczek, and Kenyon Centanian all conspired to harass and intimidate journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio. This kind of conduct is not just reprehensible, it's criminal. It's the last few days of May, and Eric Spofford's having a pretty typical week. He's in Miami, and by Thursday, he's been to three events on yachts. He posted about it on Instagram. For the third one, he decides to wear a big diamond chain necklace and a Christian Dior matching short set, which retails for about $3,000. On Friday, he packs up for a trip to New Hampshire, his home state. As he's done countless times before, Eric drives an expensive SUV right onto the airport tarmac, and he boards a private jet. He takes off at 12:19pm no big deal. At 3:04pm, Eric lands. He walks out of the private jet, down a set of stairs onto the tarmac. And that's when Eric enters a whole new world. Eric Spofford is greeted by FBI agents. He is arrested, and he's taken to a local county jail. About 30 minutes later, at 3:40pm The DOJ gives me a call. Eric Spofford will appear in federal court Monday. They tell me, do you want to go? I will see you there. I said, this is the Thirteenth Step. I'm Lauren Chooljian. That Friday, May 30th, was supposed to be a pretty typical day for me, too. When the call came in. I was in Target shopping for stuff for my daughter's birthday party. I remember hearing someone on the phone say, hi, Lauren. I just wanted to let you know that Eric Spofford was just arrested. And to that, I remember shouting, what? What are the charges? It was about the vandalism, the attacks on my home, my parents home, my boss's home. The Feds had connected Eric Spofford to these acts, and they said they'd be unsealing the indictment any minute now. I ditched my cart of party supplies, I grabbed my daughter, and I sprinted out of the store. I had a lot of people to call. I told my producer, Jason Moon, to call me from a studio.
- [07:14]
Andrea
Hey.
- [07:15]
Jason Moon
Hey.
- [07:16]
Todd Bookman
Rolling.
- [07:17]
Jason Moon
I'm rolling. What's going on?
- [07:18]
Todd Bookman
I just got a call from the Feds. They just arrested Eric Spofford.
- [07:22]
Jason Moon
Whoa.
- [07:23]
Todd Bookman
I called my lawyer. I called my boss, I called my dad. The DOJ had already broken the news to him. Fucking awesome. Been waiting for that call a long time. And then I literally ran into my house to tell my husband. I wanted to tell him in person. Matt, Eric Spofford got arrested. What? We were at Target. We left our car. In this moment, Matt is at the top of the stairs, and I'm standing at the bottom near the window that had been smashed. Weirdly, Eric Spofford was arrested nearly three years to the day that our house was attacked. When I listen back to these conversations now, to be honest, it makes me a little nervous. Don't I sound kind of excited? It would be totally normal for any other human being who is a victim of a crime to emote some level of enthusiasm when their alleged perpetrator is arrested. But for me, the person who reported about Eric Spofford, is that appropriate? This is totally uncharted territory. And that excitement you heard is not my one and only feeling about his arrest. In fact, it wore off about an hour after I broke the news to Matt. There have been so many tears, so many more complicated, darker feelings that have set in since that first moment in my living room. But more about the feelings later. First, I have to tell you everything I know about how this went down. That Friday afternoon, a federal indictment was unsealed that charges Eric Spofford with four criminal counts related to the Vandalism, including stalking and conspiracy to commit stalking across state lines. The indictment recaps a lot of the info we've covered here before. Eric Labarge, Spofford's close friend, he paid three guys to throw bricks and spray paint houses over the past three years. All four of them have pled guilty and were sentenced to prison. But now, now there's a big new addition. Federal prosecutors say that Eric Spofford was behind this the whole time. The feds have evidence that Eric spofford and Eric LaBarge met in person on or around April 21st of 2022. This was about a month after I published a story about Eric Spofford. You'll likely remember that Eric was the CEO and founder of the biggest addiction treatment provider in New England. And I uncovered multiple allegations that Spofford had sexually harassed or sexually assaulted former clients and employees. So Eric Spofford meets with Eric Labarge. And prosecutors say Spofford gave LaBarge specific instructions as to how he wanted LaBarge to terrorize us. For our reporting, Spofford gave LaBarge our addresses. And it was Eric Spofford's idea to use rocks, bricks, and red spray paint and to attack at night. After that, LaBarge goes off and pays three other guys to actually do the job. Then a few days later, this is April 24, 2022, the first round of vandalism happens around this same time. According to the indictment, Spofford pays LaBarge $10,000. But of course, there was more to come. So now It's May of 2022, and a few things are happening. Spofford and his lawyers try and convince NHPR to take our story down. Federal prosecutors say at some point in early May, Spofford provides labarge with more instructions and more addresses. Remember, he got my address wrong the first time. And then Spofford pays LaBarge another 10 grand. On May 19, Spofford's lawyers and our lawyers meet up. And our lawyer is unequivocal. No, we will not be taking the story down the very next day. The second round of vandalism happens. Just the beginning is spray painted in red under my smashed living room window, just like Spofford wanted, according to prosecutors. So that is the latest from the Feds. Eric Spofford paid his friend Eric LaBarge 20 grand to attack our homes, all because he wanted to shut down our reporting that showed credible allegations that he sexually abused multiple women. Now, how do the feds know this? That part is still unclear. Maybe they got information from someone. Maybe that someone is Eric LaBarge. LaBarge was sentenced to 46 months in prison, and he or the other guys could be cooperating. But the indictment doesn't give many hints, so I really don't know for sure. What I do know is, for the past three years, Eric Spofford has forcefully denied that he had any involvement in the vandalism. The statement he sent to reporters at the time is worth revisiting. It's a long one, but there are a few parts I want to read to you. Eric wrote, quote, I have nothing to do with whatever happened to people who work for nhpr. I shouldn't even need to dignify these unfounded accusations with a response. Despite that, Eric's statement went on for multiple paragraphs. He suggested that any other news coverage of the vandalism, like articles in the Washington Post and the New York Times, were a coordinated attack against him. I also don't need to vandalize someone's property, Eric said. I have truth on my side, and I will vindicate myself through lawful means. One of his lawful means was attempting to get the police to investigate us, as in nhpr. Eric and his lawyers wrote a letter to the New Hampshire Attorney General's office suggesting that we were framing him for the vandalism, and therefore the AG's office should launch a criminal investigation into me and my newsroom. I could give you so many other examples of the ways Eric's legal team deflected, denied, and pointed fingers in every direction when it came to the vandalism, but I'll end with just one more. Eric also floated the possibility that someone could have committed this violence on his behalf. Many people in recovery have credited me with saving their lives. Perhaps one of them felt compelled to do these acts in a misguided attempt to defend me. I would never condone it, but I have no control over what other people do. For a while, that part weirdly rang true. Eric LaBarge is a longtime defender of Eric Spofford, and he was sentenced last year for organizing the whole thing. But now, now the feds are saying that all this time the vandalism was Eric Spofford's idea, and that Eric Spofford does, in fact, have control over what other people do. After a break, I'll take you inside yet another federal courtroom where Eric Spofford arrived in handcuffs. We'll be right back.
- [15:04]
Eduardo
This is your moment, your time to shine your comeback. You're ready for the next step in your career, and you want an Education, employers respect. So you're not just going back to school. You're coming back with Purdue Global. Backed by Purdue University, one of the nation's most respected public universities, Purdue Global is built for people who bring their life experience into the online classroom. Purdue Global, Purdue's online university for working adults. Start your comeback today at purdueglobal.
- [15:33]
Todd Bookman
Edu. Eric Spofford ended up spending three nights in county jail after his arrest. It doesn't always happen that way, but because he was arrested on a Friday afternoon just before the courthouse closed, he was held over the weekend. On Monday, June 2, the feds moved Eric to Boston to the Moakley Federal Courthouse for his arraignment. My family and I got there way too early. We sat quietly in the courtroom. My colleagues Jason and Dan were there, too. I looked around. Eric's lawyer came in, followed by maybe a friend or two. I couldn't really tell. But I didn't see anyone from his family. Remember, no cameras or recorders are allowed in the courtroom. So this all comes from my notes. Then I heard someone, maybe a clerk, say, is it okay if I bring him in early? I look up from my notebook and I watch as a door opens at the far end of the room. In walks Eric Spofford. This is the first time I've seen him in person. He's wearing a tight black shirt, black pants and black handcuffs. He's escorted to a table by the FBI agent assigned to our case. Eric never looks around the courtroom. We never make eye contact. He mostly stares straight ahead at the judge's bench. He looks exhausted. I know I've taken you into a few federal courtrooms now, but as I watch the FBI agent uncuff Eric's wrists, it dawns on me how truly remarkable this moment is. For almost two decades, Eric Spofford has built a reputation that he is powerful, well connected, and not to be fucked with.
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Lauren Chooljian
I'm about as well known as a drug addict. What a weird claim to fame. I'm a very well known drug addict in this state. I know the governor personally.
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Todd Bookman
When Eric first came on the scene in New Hampshire in 2008, politicians here were like, thank God. No exaggeration. New Hampshire was desperate for addiction treatment. And here was a guy who found sobriety and wanted to use what he learned to help others. Eric became close with then US Senator Kelly Ayotte, who is now New Hampshire's governor. She invited him to Testify in Washington, D.C. forever cementing him around here as a guy worth listening to. Our last governor, Chris Sununu, he once said that when he had questions about the opioid crisis, Eric was the first guy he called. People loved Eric. As one source put it, he was like the God of recovery around here. And yet, for all those years, there were whispers around the recovery community in New England that there was a darker side to Eric. That he was an abusive boss, that he cared more about money than real recovery, and that he sexually harassed and assaulted multiple women and sometimes paid people for their silence. But all that was kept hidden because people were terrified of Eric. He seemed too powerful, too wealthy, and too important in the recovery community to tangle with. Many of his alleged victims were women in recovery themselves. If they came forward, who would be believed? A woman in early sobriety or the God of recovery? When my story came out in 2022, it was truly the first time after all these years that Eric had to answer for any of this. But even as the allegations continued to pile up against him, he seemed to many people to be untouchable.
- [19:15]
Lauren Chooljian
There's some things about war that there are to know. One, pray for peace, prepare for war. Make sure you have a good skill set ready, that your sword is sharper than the other guy. And the ultimate thing that wins wars is make sure you're willing to take it further than your opponent.
- [19:30]
Todd Bookman
Eric sold granite recovery centers for what he says was $115 million. He hired high powered lawyers to send threatening letters to me and my sources, and then eventually sued us. He bought a private jet, his own yacht, a $21 million house in Miami. He started buying up and running other addiction treatment businesses across the country and posting all over the Internet about it. Not only did Eric Spofford seem on top of the world, he offered classes where you could pay to learn how to be just like him.
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Lauren Chooljian
Does it not make you angry that there are people like me that didn't go to Harvard, didn't to college? We didn't even graduate high school yet. We walk around with watches like this one right here. This watch is probably worth as much as 10 years of your dedicated time in your dead end. Paycheck to paycheck. 9 to 5 ass job. How the.
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Todd Bookman
And now there he was in federal court in big trouble, looking really tired, not very confident. Eric pleaded not guilty to all four charges. Each one could carry a sentence of up to five years in prison. He barely chatted with his lawyer, and he listened as the judge laid out the conditions for his release. He has to pay a million dollars bond, which he did immediately after the hearing. He's not allowed to leave New Hampshire for the foreseeable future except to come to court or see his lawyer in Boston. He has a curfew of 10pm to 6am no Miami, no yacht, no private jet. He had to turn in his passport and his location will be monitored by federal agents. He can't have any firearms or weapons. He'll be subject to drug testing. He can't call or go near me, my colleagues, my family or anyone else involved in this case, Eric Labarge included. And it is a crime, the judge reminds him, to intimidate, retaliate against or bribe any witness in this case. These aren't requests or suggestions, the judge says. This is a court order. Eric will do serious prison time if he breaks any of these rules. Do you understand? The judge asks. Yes, your honor, Eric says in a quiet, raspy voice. Eric is of course considered innocent until proven guilty. And there are a lot of ways this case could go. He could strike some, deal with prosecutors and plead down to a lesser sentence. He could try and get the case thrown out or push for a trial. It's a long road ahead for everybody. But for dozens and dozens and dozens of my sources, Eric's arrest marks a major turning point. So many people texted me or called me and a few of them wished they could have been there to see it.
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Brian Stays
Mia is Lauren.
- [22:32]
Todd Bookman
When I called, Brian Stays, he was beside himself. Don't leave out a single morsel, he told me. I want to hear it all.
- [22:39]
Brian Stays
I am like a pig in the proverbial shit trough. I am so happy there's finally karma that is knocking at the beloved's door.
- [22:47]
Todd Bookman
I don't entirely know what that means, but Brian was the chief operating officer of Granite Recovery centers back in 20 and he quit after employee B told him that Eric had sexually assaulted her and then retaliated against her.
- [23:01]
Brian Stays
I'm like, when are there going to be some consequences for this behavior? And finally, it appears at least there'll be a course of action and due process. So I am ecstatic.
- [23:13]
Todd Bookman
Did you really ever think you'd see a day where Eric Spofford was arrested?
- [23:18]
Brian Stays
Yeah. I'll be honest with you. I expected when all the women shit went down and the toxicity of the work environment and all that stuff, I expected him to be arrested then. But then when that didn't happen and then he filed the suit and all that stuff, then I was. I know I didn't. I was actually pissed off. It's like once again the son of a bitch walks. So no, I never would have dreamt.
- [23:46]
Todd Bookman
In 100 years that toxicity of the work environment he mentions. Brian told us a lot about that in episode two, that Eric would lose it on his employees. And he was relentless about things a CEO isn't usually involved in, and if you didn't do what he asked, you'd be fired five years later. Brian says he'll occasionally hear from old colleagues who started working for Eric's new companies, and their reports are not good. One example, Eric hires a guy Brian knows, named Jay, to be executive director of a facility in Pennsylvania.
- [24:20]
Brian Stays
So I private messaged him and I'm like, jay, do you know who you're working for? And he responds immediately. And he says, yeah, man, I love his story. This. I said, dude. And then I forwarded the thirteen Step podcast and a few articles, and I said, you know what? You do what you need to do, Everyone needs to feed their family. I would encourage you to listen to some of this because this is the beast you are working for. And then two and a half weeks later, I get a message from him saying, you are fucking right. It's the same shit, different day, with different names attached. So how he operates is no different.
- [25:02]
Todd Bookman
By the way, we did reach out to Eric's attorney for comment, both about the arrest and this new insight into his leadership, but we didn't hear back. I've seen messages and texts that back up what Brian's saying here. And I talked to Jay, and these stories people tell Brian about working with Eric, they are eerily similar to Brian's experience at Granite. And each time Brian asks himself, how can this keep happening? How can Eric continue to buy up and run all these treatment businesses?
- [25:33]
Brian Stays
I hope that this creates kind of an avenue for a deeper probe from at a fed level, because this son of a bitch has no business working with people, much less in the helping profession.
- [25:45]
Todd Bookman
I actually had a few sources say things along this vibe. One person told me they feel like Eric Spofford corrupted what was once a beautiful, powerful recovery community in New England, and now he's doing it on a larger scale. As this person put it, quote, it's a giant circle of greed and sickness.
- [26:14]
Andrea
Hello?
- [26:15]
Todd Bookman
Hey, it's Lauren. Hi, how are you?
- [26:18]
Andrea
I'm really good. How are you?
- [26:20]
Todd Bookman
The most emotional conversations I had this past week were with the women who came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Some women felt really good, like Andrea does. Andrea, you may remember, is the first person who introduced me to the term 13 stepping. Why are you really good?
- [26:40]
Andrea
Well, I just feel justice is in the process of being served. And I just feel in this day and age, sometimes that doesn't always happen. So it was nice to see this happening in this case.
- [26:53]
Todd Bookman
But these conversations were also really complicated. No one is feeling just one feeling right now. I still hear worries about personal safety. I heard about old traumas flooding back. And employee A. Andrea and a few other women wanted me to know they were also really happy for me, which is such a weird thing for me to know how to handle. For most of my conversations with these women over the past few years, I. I'm fully in reporter mode. It's not about me, it's about them. Because of course it is. But now with this arrest, many of these women feel we're uniquely connected. Our experiences are so, so different. But as Andrea put it, we all have a story with Eric Spofford. One woman texted me a link to a news story about Eric getting arrested and added this message. Vandalism, but no rape. To her. There is a deep unfairness here, and I totally get that. Andrea and I had a good chat about it. Does that resonate for you at all? Is there any unfairness to this, do you feel, or.
- [28:04]
Andrea
Well, I mean, in an ideal world, everyone would be held accountable for their horrific actions. And he definitely has. Has done horrific things to a lot of women, and he should be held accountable for that. And ultimately, that would have been the prize. And even though nothing happened this time, it doesn't mean that it won't happen in the future, that things might not. Things might come out and he could pay for the assaults that he's done to these women. But, I mean, right now, I just want to enjoy what has happened.
- [28:47]
Todd Bookman
Andrea told me her heart goes out to any woman who has a story with Eric, and she hopes that at least they are getting some satisfaction from this news. I really do not know where this journey will take us next, but my inbox and my phone are open for tips. And if anything big happens in the case known as the United States versus Eric's spofford, we'll be back. The 13th step is reported and produced by me, Lauren Chooljian mixing production and additional reporting by Jason Moon, who also wrote the music you hear in the show. Editing from senior editor Katie Colinari, news director Dan baric and Allison McAdam. Sara Plord created our artwork and the website thirteenthsteppodcast.org where you can read the full federal indictment against Eric Spofford. Sigmund Schutz is our lawyer. NHPR's director of on demand audio is Rebecca Lavoy. The 13th step is a production of the document team at New Hampshire Public Radio.