The FBI arrested a Massachusetts man for allegedly stalking and harassing conservative podcaster Katie Miller, who’s married to top White House aide Stephen Miller.
John Anthony Proia III is accused of calling and texting Katie, 34, more than 40 times over a span of less than two months, between August 2026 and September 2025, when he left “disturbing messages” about her and Stephen, 41, who serves as White House deputy chief of staff for policy, according to federal prosecutors.
Proia, 41, also sent Katie’s mother and father menacing messages, including some in which he allegedly described Katie as “trash” and Stephen as “evil” and a “Jewish Nazi/white supremacist,” prosecutors said.
He was indicted on Thursday, October 1, on one count of cyberstalking, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
“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,” Ted E. Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division, said in a statement.
Proia pleaded not guilty during his initial appearance and arraignment on Thursday, court records viewed by Us show.
His federal public defender didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s news release only identified Katie as a former political adviser and prominent Republican Party member and said she was married to a high-level federal official.
In a post shared to X in response to the news of Proia’s indictment, Katie thanked authorities “for keeping me and my family safe.”
“Good to see a Boston grand jury indict this man,” she wrote on Thursday.
Katie previously served under President Donald Trump’s first administration, as well as his second administration as the former adviser to the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.
Proia is accused of repeatedly calling and leaving voicemails for Katie from unknown phone numbers, which he allegedly obtained using applications that can create free secondary numbers, according to prosecutors.
In the calls she answered and the voicemails she received, Katie heard “what appeared to be a male caller employing a menacing tone and often using expletives,” prosecutors said.
In one of the text messages sent to Katie’s father, prosecutors said Proia allegedly wrote: “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?”
Proia has been released from custody on certain conditions, court records show.
A Friday, October 2, docket entry notes his release conditions involve “no contact of any public officials or their family members at their homes, or on their personal phones, personal emails, or other personal devices.”
“The defendant cannot contact the victim, or any family members of the victim or any potential witnesses in the case,” the docket entry also states.
