Iowa man accused of tormenting his ex for two years is sentenced to decade in prison

An Iowa man accused of tormenting his ex-girlfriend through “a form of mental torture” for years will spend a decade in prison.

Michael Shawn McGuire, 58, of Cresco, met the Minnesota woman on an online dating site in 2017, and they dated for about seven months before she broke up with him.

Then began a campaign to stalk and harass her for the next two years, officials said.

McGuire created fake five Facebook profiles with the woman’s name and photo, including sexually explicit messages about her, and sent friend requests to 80 of her friends and relatives, officials said.

He’s also accused of making explicit flyers and yard signs that included her name, address and phone number. He delivered dozens of flyers to the woman’s children, neighbors, employer, priest and others, officials said, while the yard signs were put in the parking lot of the woman’s employer, the lawn of her church and a popular local restaurant.

After the woman obtained a restraining order against him, McGuire sent her a text message telling her to call the police because he was going to violate the order, then followed her as she drove around town, officials said.

Afterward, he was arrested, but the harassment continued, officials said.

In December, McGuire pleaded guilty to four charges of cyberstalking.

A federal judged sentenced him Friday to 10 years in prison after remarking he subjected the woman to a “form of public terrorism in a way” and the earlier arrest hadn’t deterred him from harassing the woman. McGuire was also ordered to pay her $17,500.

“Michael McGuire tormented the victim for over two years,” acting United States Attorney Sean R. Berry said in a statement. “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.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Iowa man accused of tormenting his ex for two years is sentenced to decade in prison."