BOSTON – A Waltham, Mass. man has been arrested and charged with stalking a former political advisor and prominent member of the Republican Party. Defendant allegedly contacted the victim using phone and text over 40 times over the course of less than two months, leaving disturbing messages about the victim and her husband. Defendant also allegedly sent the victim’s parents disturbing messages.
John Anthony Proia, III, 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston today with one count of cyberstalking. Proia was arrested this afternoon and will appear in federal district court in Boston at 5:00 PM today.
According to court filings, between August 2026 and continuing through September 2026, Proia allegedly made multiple calls, sent text messages and voicemails from an ever-changing series of unfamiliar phone numbers to a victim who resides in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. The victim is a former political advisor and prominent figure in the Republican Party who is married to a high-level federal government employee (“Federal Official”).
It is alleged that the victim at times received multiple communications a day, including calls late at night. 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. 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. According to the indictment, Proia used multiple phone numbers to contact the victim at least 40 times between Aug. 3, 2026 and Sept. 23, 2026. Proia also allegedly sent the following text messages to phones numbers associated with the victim’s parents:a. “Good morning [first name of victim’s mother]. Does it disturb you that such evil as [Federal Official] is married to the creature that slithered from your Cunt?”b. [Photo of Victim 1]c. “My god, how can you be proud of this filth?”d. “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?”
“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,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.
“Today, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested John Proia for allegedly engaging in a sustained campaign of harassment to frighten this victim and her family, inflicting significant emotional distress,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. “Terrorizing someone isn’t some sick game, it’s a crime, which is why the FBI and our partners take it so seriously as we work to protect and serve everyone in our communities.”
U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alathea E. Porter of the National Security Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.