Michigan mother accused of catfishing her own daughter in harassment scheme and trying to frame classmate

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A Michigan woman has been arrested for carrying out a catfishing harassment campaign against two teens - including her own daughter.

Kenra Gail Licari, 42, was arrested on 12 December after authorities alleged she created an online persona to cyberbully her daughter and the girl’s then-boyfriend, according to the Morning Sun.

Ms Licari, of Mt Pleasant, then allegedly attempted to frame another classmate of the teens for the harassment.

She is facing five charges, including two counts of stalking a minor, two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of obstruction of justice.

The charges stemmed from an investigation that began within the Beal City School District in December 2021 following reports that the daughter and her boyfriend at the time were being cyberbullied.

Ms Licari, who was employed by Beal City Schools as a basketball coach, and the mother of the boyfriend worked together to find the source of the cyberbullying, Isabella County Prosecutor David Barberi said.

Local law enforcement joined the probe in mid-January, before asking the FBI for help in April.

Ms Licari is said to have begun targeting the teens with harassing messages under a fake identity in early 2021, claiming to be her daughter’s age.

Over the course of the investigation, authorities compiled 349 pages of harassing texts and social media messages.

The messages were traced back to IP addresses linked to Ms Licari, prosecutors said.

When confronted by police, Ms Licari made a full confession, Mr Barberi said.

Her motive in the campaign has not been determined.

Ms Licari has since been released on $5,000 bond.

She faces up to 10 years in prison for the computer crimes charges, and five years for stalking and obstruction.