GABE CAGGIANO IS no longer delivering the news in the U.P.–he left Local 3 back in March–but he’s now making news in San Antonio.
WOIA radio reports that Caggiano has been charged with the federal crime of stalking, and he’s scheduled to go on trial next month. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
Caggiano built a reputation during his year here in the U.P. of being temperamental and difficult to work with, but nothing like this, we thought…until you read more of the details in the WOIA story.
Here, according to the WOIA report, is what Caggiano is alleged to have done: Stalked, harassed and made threats against his former news manager Hollis Grizzard and Grizzard’s wife, Marise McDermott. Grizzard had fired Caggiano from their Corpus Christi station back in 2008.
So Caggiano was fired seven years ago, and yet according to the federal court documents obtained by WOAI, the threatening emails began in March of 2015. A longstanding grudge? We don’t know.
One of the voice mails from Caggiano reportedly said Grizzard “will die.” Another voice mail, directed to Grizzard’s wife, reportedly said, “I lost a family, I lost all my money and five years of my career due to your husband.”
Not a pretty picture.
And then there’s this, regarding his one year stay in the U.P., quoting WOAI directly: “The FBI says while in Michigan, Caggiano stalked another woman, who was forced to obtain a protective order against him, Officials say they believe that woman is the news director of the TV station he worked at there.”
WJMN general manager Mike Smith confirms there was a serious problem with Caggiano while he was in the U.P. but Smith didn’t want to elaborate any further.
By the way, it was never publicly announced why Caggiano left Local 3, though it seemed very clear he was fired.
He’s had that problem throughout much of his career. Multiple firings, a reputation for belligerence.
He’s got talent. He’s not only a well-traveled journalist, but he’s also been a TV actor and a singer.
But now he’s facing something much more serious–an FBI investigation, a federal trial, and possible prison time.
Oh, one more thing. This from his Facebook posting, dated July 5th, a few months after he left Local 3 and the U.P: “I wasted a whole year in Marquette, Michigan. It’s disgusting. Only thing more gross than the place is the people.”
Apparently the charms of the Upper Peninsula must have escaped Gabe Caggiano.
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