A New Hampshire man has copped a guilty plea for his role in a harrowing conspiracy aimed squarely at scaring the daylights out of two journalists from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). Tucker Cockerline, 32, from Salem, faces the music after an intimidating spree that saw homes splattered with vandalism on no less than five occasions—targeted properties were "decorated" with bricks, rocks, and hostile red spray paint messages.
The guilty plea was entered in the federal court in Boston, where the U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani is slated to hand down the sentence on March 19, 2024. Cockerline, Waselchuck, and Saniatan were initially charged with a criminal complaint in June of this year, according to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The saga unraveled further when, following the publication of an NHPR article in March 2022 detailing allegations of sexual and other misconduct by a New Hampshire business figure, a shocking and orchestrated campaign of harassment against the article's authors unfolded. Eric Labarge, a known associate of the accused businessperson, and cohorts Cockerline, Michael Waselchuck and Keenan Saniatan, allegedly agreed to execute a calculated series of attacks against the journalists and their families.
These attacks, as alleged in the indictment, included blatantly throwing a brick through a window and spraying "C*NT" on a journalist's door, acts meant to not just physically damage property but to also strike deep psychological fear. The charging documents, which also highlight other destructive episodes including the ominous spray-painted threat "JUST THE BEGINNING," points to a need for understanding the peril those in the press increasingly seem to inevitably face. The indictment details are not final judgements, with the alleged perpetrators presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
Each charge carries a substantial penalty, with up to five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy made the announcement, with a nod to Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Field Division, for the partnership in the investigation, as a detailed report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed. Assistance hailed from local New Hampshire police departments as well as from Massachusetts, bolstering a multi-state cooperation that brought forward these charges.
