Catfishing Mom Sentenced to Prison

Kendra Licari (source: Isabella County Sheriff’s Department)

A Beal City woman who pleaded guilty to stalking her daughter and daughter’s boyfriend online was sentenced to prison time.

42-year-old Kendra Licari sent hundreds of anonymous harrassing texts and social media messages to the teen couple in 2021 over the course of a year. Police say she hid her identity with fake IP addresses and attempted to make it look like the messages came from another teen who went to the same school as her daughter. Police say when the investigation began, Licari worked with them to divert attention away from herself.

Licari was initially charged with stalking a minor, communicating on a computer to commit a crime and obstructing justice. The communicating and obstruction charges were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea. She was sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison. A judge says she is free to contact her daughter but it remains up to the family if that will happen.