Caitlin Clark's online harassment by a man named Michael Lewis came to light when the latter was sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment on charges of sending hundreds of threatening and sexually explicit messages to the Indiana Fever player since 2023, BBC reported.
Who is Michael Lewis?
The Texas man has followed a repeated pattern of stalking and harassing Clark by sending her disturbing images on social media and making lewd comments publicly.
On December 27, he wrote about having sensual feelings for Clark, followed by a December 31 message which said that he had intentions to “touch himself” when he thought about her, per MARCA.
The most nerve-racking message came through in January when he wrote, “This is 911 what is your emergency? . . caitlin fell in the snow and we cant find her anywhere. Its like she disappeared. . . . Brass monkey, that funky monkey, brass monkey junkee, that funky monkey.”
This pattern led the FBI to get involved in the matter, and Lewis was arrested and sent to trial the same month. The police located the accused via digital tracking and found him in a hotel near the Indiana Fever’s home arena.
{{/usCountry}}This pattern led the FBI to get involved in the matter, and Lewis was arrested and sent to trial the same month. The police located the accused via digital tracking and found him in a hotel near the Indiana Fever’s home arena.
{{/usCountry}}His social media posts at the time suggested that he had made the shift from Texas to be closer to Clark, dismantling his claims of being on vacation. Despite pleading guilty, Lewis claimed in court that he “never threatened her” and only wanted her “to be safe” by pointing out loopholes in her security system.
Michael Lewis’ sentencing
As a result of the plea deal, Lewis has been sentenced to 2.5 years of imprisonment but will only serve 18 months due to previous jail time, per the outlet. In addition, he had been banned from attending Fever and Pacers games and must stay away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse. The judge also recommended that he undergo mental health treatment.
“No matter how prominent a figure you are, this case shows that online harassment can quickly escalate to actual threats of physical violence,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said after the sentencing on Monday. “It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don't.”
With contribution from Stuti Gupta