MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin man who became an instant millionaire with a winning lottery ticket has been sentenced for stalking and other charges related to his obsession with a young woman who rejected his advances.
Douglas P. Miron, 50, was sentenced on Tuesday to a year in jail with work-release privileges starting in April, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (https://bit.ly/2j6iMH3 ) reported. He’ll also have to pay $55,000 in fines and serve four years of probation.
“To some degree, the defendant’s wealth is what I believe motivated him to engage in this sort of out-of-control, ’I can do whatever I want’ behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General Christopher Liegel, who prosecuted the case.
Miron’s attorney, Gregory Petit, said the lottery win didn’t influence Miron’s actions.
“He’s been the same throughout life . been one of those persons who wear their emotions on their sleeve,” Petit said.
In 2009, Miron opted to receive his Powerball winnings in a lump-sum payout of $11.2 million after taxes. With his winnings, he bought a new truck, a Jaguar and a house on acreage with a landing strip. He also helped people through financial hardships, bought snowmobiles for others and opened a restaurant where he hired his friends.
The charges against him grew out of his alleged obsession with a teenage girl he hired to clean the house he bought with his prize money.
He rented a house to her and her mother, but when she began rejecting his interests in a relationship, he began a series of threatening and criminal actions from 2011 to 2014, according to the criminal complaint.
While accepting his plea deal, Miron disputed some allegations made by the victims, who Petit said exploited Miron after he had money.
“I’ve done nothing but help those people. I treated them like my own family,” Miron said. “And I’ve learned a lot.”
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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, https://www.jsonline.com
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