A Massachusetts man is accused of stalking a former political advisor and prominent member of the Republican Party.
According to US Attorney Leah Foley’s office, John Anthony Proia, III, 41, of Waltham contacted the victim by phone and text over 40 times in less than two months, leaving disturbing messages about the victim and her husband, who is also a high-level employee in the federal government.
In August and September of this year, Proia sent texts and made calls from several phone numbers unknown to the victim, US Attorney Leah Foley claims.
“The calls that were answered by the victim, as well as voicemails, were allegedly made by what appeared to be a male caller employing a menacing tone and often using expletives,” Foley said. “The phone numbers used to make these communications were obtained through applications that provide free phone numbers for calling and messaging via Voice Over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”). According to the charging documents, these applications allow a user to obfuscate their identity and easily generate new phone numbers."
Several derogatory texts were also sent to the victim’s family as well.
“As alleged in the Indictment, the defendant repeatedly and relentlessly targeted the victim, her husband and her family with deeply disturbing communications that profoundly disrupted their lives. Cyberstalking can inflict real fear and harm, and we take these allegations extremely seriously. Those who use technology to harass, intimidate or torment others should understand that attempts to anonymize their criminal conduct will not shield them from prosecution. We will find you, and we will hold you accountable,” added B. Foley.
Proia was arrested Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to appear in Boston Federal Court on Friday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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