Prosecutors said Michael Lewis sent the Indiana Fever guard more than 800 threatening social media messages
A 55-year-old man from Texas was sentenced to two and a half years of prison on Monday after pleading guilty to stalking and harassing Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Michael Lewis was banned from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the team plays home games, as well as Gainbridge Fieldhouse, according to The Athletic. Lewis was also ordered to stay away from all future Fever and Indiana Pacers events, and to have no contact with Clark, 23.
“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “He will now spend the next two and a half years in the Department of Corrections, and the victim will be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”
A representative for Lewis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors alleged that Lewis sent Clark more than 800 threatening and sexually explicit messages on social media between Dec. 12, 2024, and Jan. 11, 2025. Per The Athletic, recordings show that Lewis drove from Texas to Indianapolis and past Gainbridge Fieldhouse multiple times, and that police said that Lewis bought tickets to a Butler University women’s basketball game that he knew Clark would be at.
Authorities tracked Lewis to an Indianapolis hotel, per the outlet, and Lewis told investigators that he had “an imaginary relationship” with the WNBA star. Lewis continued to message Clark after the incident until he was arrested and charged on Jan. 12.
Per the plea deal, Lewis is advised to seek mental health treatment and return to Texas after his sentence is completed.
Clark is currently out after suffering four separate muscle injuries and has missed 13 regular season while rehabbing a right groin injury.
