1234: Eric Spofford – Republican Sexual Predators

Eric Spofford was the founding CEO of Granite Recovery Centers (GRC) an addiction recovery company with several centers and multiple programs to treat addiction and maintain sobriety. He led from his own experience as an addict and built a successful program. He is also a generous Republican donor. He now identifies himself as an internet personality and gives speeches on business, investing, mental health, addiction recovery and more. He has been accused of sexual misconsuct.

One of the women who accused him claimed she had just left recovery, newly sober, and began receiving messages from Spofford on SnapChat, including a dick pic and invitations to meet him for sex. She relapsed and blames the stress of his harassment of her for playing a role in her relapse.

A former GRC employee claims he sexually assaulted her on the job. Another employee told several colleagues he sexually assaulted her, leading to the resignation of the chief operating officer in protest. New Hampshire Public Radio interviewed fifty clients, past, and present employees and it produced a troubling story of an abusive and difficult CEO who also saved a lot of people from addiction.

He has since sold the company and now lectures on his areas of expertise. He vehemently denies all the allegations and sued NHPR for defamation. He has tried to intimidate sources with threats to sue people who may have been sources and pressured people to recant.

From a brief he filed, NHPR is planning a podcast and has another accuser. He claims they showed malice by not agreeing to his terms for an interview.

However, a judge ruled he had no basis to prove malice for his suit and described the reporting as diligent and professional. He tried to access information on sources through discovery and the judge demanded all the records, unredacted, but refused to give them to Spofford. The case, however, remains alive, with appeals.

The last action was this direction from the judge on December 13, 2023:

Court Order (Judicial Officer: St. Hilaire, Daniel I)
ENV #3366789; “…the Court declines to provide any of the in camera review documents to Spofford. […] Although Spofford is free to amend his complaint … any such amendment should be submitted within thirty (30) days of the Clerk’s Notice of Decision accompanying this order.”

Since the reporting, the reporters and family have been harassed and had their homes vandalized. One person has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to harass them in a conspiracy allegedly organized by Eric LaBarge whom federal authorities describe as a close, personal associate of Spofford’s. Spofford denies having anything to do with any of it.