Upjohn Heir Ordered to Prison for Sexual Assault

Upjohn heir Roger Gauntlett was ordered today to begin serving a 5- to 15-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

Gauntlett, 44, the great-great-grandson of the pharmaceutical company’s founder, had been free on bond pending appeal. In a plea bargain, a similar charge involving his 12-year-old stepson was dropped earlier.

The case drew widespread publicity when it was learned that the original judge assigned to the case was considering a sentence calling for five years’ probation and a donation of up to $2 million to finance construction of an incest treatment center in Kalamazoo County.

Subsequently, the first judge and a second Kalamazoo County circuit judge disqualified themselves from the case.

A third judge then ordered Gauntlett to undergo chemical castration through treatments with the drug Depo Provera. The Upjohn-manufactured hormone is used for birth control among women, but also reduces sex drive when administered to men.

The Michigan Court of Appeals voided that sentence as cruel and unusual punishment.