A Massachusetts man was arrested and charged on Thursday for allegedly cyberstalking who the Department of Justice says is a “prominent” Republican living in the Washington, D.C., area.
John Anthony Proia III, a 41-year-old resident of Waltham, is accused of using multiple phone numbers to contact his target at least 40 times between Aug. 3 and Sept. 23, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. The office characterized the messages sent to the victim, her husband, and her parents as “disturbing.”
The identity of the victim remains undisclosed, but the federal prosecutor’s office said the person is a “former political advisor and prominent figure in the Republican Party who is married to a high-level federal government employee.”
Proia was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of cyberstalking before he appeared in federal court at 5 p.m. Thursday. The suspect was arrested by the FBI earlier in the afternoon.
“This behavior is criminal and will be treated as it should — with prosecution!” Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X. “Great work by our USAO in Boston.”
In messages to the victim’s parents, Proia called the victim “filth” and used other derogatory terms.
“Hey [first name of victim’s father], how goes it? Hope your daughter marrying a Jewish Nazi/white supremacist is working out for you and [first name of victim’s mother]. Did you raise her to be trash or did that just happen naturally?” he allegedly said.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said. “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.”
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If convicted on the cyberstalking charge, Proia could face up to five years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Redacting the victim’s name from court documents is standard practice for the DOJ, and the victim typically remains anonymous unless the person decides to make an announcement, as Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) did in August when an Ohio man threatening to kill and behead him was arrested.