Michael Waselchuck, Conspiracy to Commit Stalking, Massachusetts 2024

Harassment and Intimidation in Massachusetts Take a Dark Turn: A New Hampshire Man Gets Sentenced

BOSTON – A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to harass and intimidate journalists employed by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) and their family members.

Michael Waselchuck, 36, of Seabrook, N.H., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release. In April 2024, Waselchuck pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and using a facility of interstate commerce.

Waselchuck was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023. He was later indicted along with co-defendants Eric Labarge, Tucker Cockerline and Keenan Saniatan.

The harassment began in March 2022, when an NHPR journalist published an article detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson. In response to this reporting, Labarge, Cockerline, Waselchuck, and Saniatan agreed to harass and intimidate the journalist and their immediate family members.

On or about May 18, 2022, Labarge solicited Cockerline to vandalize the journalist’s parents’ home in Hampstead, N.H., and the journalist’s home in Melrose, Mass., using bricks and red spray paint. Cockerline, in turn, recruited Waselchuck to vandalize the journalist’s residence.

Cockerline was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release in August 2024. Labarge and Saniatan have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Concord, Hampstead, and Hanover, New Hampshire Police Departments, the Melrose, Massachusetts Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason A. Casey and Torey B. Cummings of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

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