Mom Catfished Own Daughter, Sent Harassing Messages For Months

A 42-year-old woman in Michigan was arrested Monday for catfishing and harassing her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend.

The mother, identified as Kendra Gail Licari, of Mt. Pleasant, was charged Monday with two counts of stalking a minor, two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and one count of obstruction of justice, The Morning Sun reported.

The obstruction charge stemmed from Licari's attempt to frame another minor for her actions during the investigation, according to the outlet.

Licari's arrest came after a year-long investigation that began in December 2021, when a complaint was filed to Beal City Schools that Licari's daughter and the minor's then-boyfriend were being cyberbullied. The names and ages of the victims were not disclosed.

Licari worked as a girls' basketball coach for Beal City Schools at the time the complaint was made, according to Beal City Schools superintendent William Chilman. However, she was not asked to return because the school opted for a coaching change.

During the initial investigation, Licari and the other victim's mother cooperated with the school, the prosecutor said.

The harassment against the two teens allegedly started in early 2021, Isabella County Prosecutor David Barberi told The Morning Sun Monday.

Since most of the harassment did not take place on school property and no school devices were used, the case was passed on to local law enforcement in January.

Licari was later identified as the culprit behind the catfishing scheme after FBI analysts identified her IP addresses as those used to send the cruel messages, according to the prosecutor.

Licari used virtual private networks to mask the location she was sending messages from, Barberi alleged.

She also used a specific identity to make the messages look like they were coming from teens around the same age as the two victims, including using slang and abbreviations associated with communicating by text, the prosecutor alleged.

Barberi told the outlet that during the course of the investigation, his office was able to compile 349 pages of harassing text and social media messages implicating Licari.

Licari reportedly confessed to the crime after police showed her the evidence.

Following her arraignment on Monday, Licari was released after posting $5,000 bail.

The motive behind the mother's actions remains unknown, but she is due back in court on Dec. 29 to determine if there is sufficient evidence to move forward with a trial.

Using a computer to commit a crime carries a possible 10-year sentence. Stalking a minor and obstruction of justice carry five-year penalties.