Massachusetts man indicted for cyberstalking former GOP adviser Katie Miller, DOJ says

John Anthony Proia III, 41, of Waltham, Massachusetts, was arrested by the FBI and indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on Thursday 1 October on one count of cyberstalking. 1 2 Prosecutors say he used multiple phone numbers to contact the victim more than 40 times between August 3 and September 23, calling several times a day and sometimes leaving voicemails. 1 2 Court filings say the calls and texts came from "an ever-changing series of unfamiliar phone numbers" obtained through apps offering free VoIP numbers, which let users hide their identity; the Justice Department described the caller as apparently male, using a "menacing tone" and often expletives. 3

The indictment does not name the victim, describing a "former political advisor and prominent figure in the Republican Party" married to a "high-level federal government employee"; CBS News, citing sources familiar with the case, reported the victims are podcaster Katie Miller and her husband Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy. 1 2 The messages also went to the victim's husband and parents. One allegedly sent to the victim's father read: "Hope your daughter marrying a Jewish Nazi/white supremacist is working out for you," and the Washington Examiner reports he also called the victim "filth". 1 2 Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X that the behaviour "is criminal and will be treated as it should — with prosecution," and U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said attempts to anonymize criminal conduct would not shield defendants from prosecution. 1

Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston Division, said Proia was arrested for allegedly engaging in "a sustained campaign of harassment to frighten this victim and her family, inflicting significant emotional distress"; Foley said the defendant "repeatedly and relentlessly targeted the victim, her husband and her family." 3 4 If convicted, Proia faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. 1 CBS News adds that the indictment follows a dispute at the FBI's Washington Field Office, where two senior counterintelligence agents were demoted last week after the Millers complained the FBI was not doing enough; Bloomberg Law first reported it, and field office head Darren Cox said he, not FBI Director Kash Patel, made the decision. 2

Accounts differ on the demoted officials' roles: CBS News calls them senior counterintelligence agents, while Reuters (carried by the New York Post) and Raw Story, citing MS NOW, call them counterterrorism officials; NBC, citing Bloomberg, says they were reassigned to FBI headquarters over concerns the agency was not moving efficiently enough, and Cox called it a personnel decision based on "our constant evaluation of mission needs." 2 4 3 Katie Miller reposted Blanche's post and thanked him, Foley and the Washington Field Office; CBS said it could not immediately reach Proia's attorney. 2 Per the Washington Examiner, Proia appeared in federal court at 5 p.m. Thursday, and Miller's post thanked Blanche, Foley and the FBI Washington Field Office "for keeping me and my family safe." 5