Cyberstalker, 58, is jailed for ten years for 'mentally torturing' woman he met online by setting up explicit Facebook accounts in her name and sending X-rated flyers with her pictures to her church
An Iowa man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stalking his ex for two years, going as far as putting 'sexually explicit' yard signs with her image on them and sending flyers to her job and church.
Michael Shawn McGuire, 58, of Cresco, Iowa pled guilty to four counts of cyberstalking on December 8 and was jailed on Friday.
During his sentencing hearing, Judge C.J. Williams said McGuire engaged in 'a form of mental torture' and a 'form of public terrorism in a way.'
McGuire dated the unidentified victim, who lives in Minnesota, for seven months after meeting her on a dating site in the fall of 2017, according to the Department of Justice.
He runs an insurance and tax business in Cresco, according to the West Central Tribune.
Michael Shawn McGuire, seen above in two separate mugshots, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to four counts of cyberstalking in US District Court
After she broke up with him, he texted and emailed her so much that she sought a 'no-contact' order in the summer of 2018.
His actions got worse after that.
McGuire made more than five Facebook profiles with her name and photo.
He sent friend requests to more than 80 of his friends and family from the accounts, which included 'sexually explicit messages.'
He also made 'dozens' of fliers and yard signs featuring her name, phone number, address and 'sexually explicit photographs of women appearing to be the victim.'
The fliers were delivered to the victim's children, extended family members, neighbors, friends, her employer, a priest and a business she associated with, the DOJ said.
The yard signs were left at her employer's parking lot, her church and a popular local restaurant.
At one point, he spray-painted her name and a lewd message in front of a business in her hometown.
McGuire made five separate Facebook accounts with the victim's name and sexually explicit photos. He sent requests from them to her friends and family
He spent 'a few days' in county jail after texting her that she should call the police because he was violating his restraining order by following her around in his car.
The victim saw him following her around Wilmar, Minnesota, about 95 miles west of Minneapolis, on October 3, 2018.
The stalking incident coincided with a court hearing he had in Wilmar, according to the West Central Tribune.
Much of the stalking happened in Wilmar, a small lake-side city in southwestern Minnesota
Kandiyohi County, where Wilmar is located, filed 91 separate charges against McGuire, ranging from misdemeanor harassment to felony stalking.
Those charges have since been dismissed.
During a search of his workplace in the fall of 2019, investigators found photos of the victim, her family and friends, her Facebook friends list, supplies for fliers and yard signs, rubber gloves and rope.
'Michael McGuire tormented the victim for over two years,' Acting United States Attorney Sean R. Berry said after the sentence.
'He will spend the next decade in federal prison, protecting both his victim and the public from his malicious behavior. This sentence sends a strong message to all that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.'
McGuire was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after his prison term, and he was fined $15,000, along with $17,500 in restitution to the victim.