| Occupation | Media executive |
|---|---|
| Known for | Founder of Spoon Network |
Stanton Witherspoon is a Liberian media executive and founder of Spoon Network, one of Liberia's largest private media networks, operating Spoon FM and Spoon TV.[1][2]
Early life
Witherspoon is the son of Cllr. D. Stanton Witherspoon Sr., a Liberian legal practitioner who served in several government roles, including as a legal advisor at the Ministry of Commerce and legal counsel at the Ministry of Justice.[3]
Career
Witherspoon founded the Spoon Group of Companies, which includes Spoon FM, Spoon TV, Fabric FM, and Super FM.[1] He hosts Spoon Talk, a program focused on political and social issues in Liberia.[4]
Spoon Network has been described as one of Liberia's largest privately owned media networks, with multiple radio stations and a television platform based in Monrovia.[2]
A 2024 GeoPoll survey commissioned by Internews ranked Spoon TV among the most-watched television stations in Liberia, with an estimated audience of about 77,000 viewers nationwide.[5]
Controversies
In December 2025, Witherspoon stated during an episode of Spoon Talk that he and other commentators had promoted false narratives linking former president George Weah to the deaths of government auditors and the disappearance of three boys in 2020.[6]
According to reporting, he described the claims as politically motivated and acknowledged that routine deaths and accidents were misrepresented as targeted killings.[7]
Legal issues
In 2023, Witherspoon was indicted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in connection with a large-scale wire fraud scheme involving fraudulent nursing diplomas.[1][2] Prosecutors alleged that the scheme involved the sale of more than 7,600 fake nursing diplomas and transcripts, generating approximately US$114 million.[2]
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 41 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay approximately US$3.5 million in restitution.[4]
According to the United States Department of Justice, the scheme involved the issuance of fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking professional licensure primarily associated with three South Florida-based institutions: Siena College of Health, Palm Beach School of Nursing, and Sacred Heart International Institute.[8]
References
- ^ "Liberia: Spoon Network CEO, Stanton Witherspoon Indicted in America for Wire Fraud". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "US government indicts owner of Liberia’s largest private media network for wire fraud". RadioInfo Africa. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "Death Announcement: Cllr. D. Stanton Witherspoon Sr.". TLC Africa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "Liberia: Stanton Witherspoon Gets 41 Months Jail Sentence for Wire Fraud". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "Liberia: FrontPageAfrica Ranked Liberia’s Most Read Newspaper in 2024 Internews GeoPoll Survey". FrontPage Africa. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "'All Lies': Witherspoon confesses to anti-Weah propaganda campaign". Liberian Investigator. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "Liberia: Witherspoon Admits False Narratives Tied Weah to Auditor Deaths, Missing Boys Case". AllAfrica. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
- ^ "Fraudulent Nursing Diploma Scheme Leads to Federal Convictions". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved 22 April 2026.