Arapaho, OK – Casee Liza Hughes of Oklahoma City has been sentenced to seven years in prison following a sentencing hearing in Arapaho at the Custer County Courthouse. Hughes, who pleaded no contest to charges of falsely impersonating another to create liability and computer fraud, was accused of creating fake social media accounts to impersonate Clinton High School teacher Ashley Kelley and send racially charged messages in 2022.
Authorities allege Hughes meticulously duplicated Kelley’s Facebook profile and used it to send a racist message to the parent of a Native American student. The message included racial slurs, stereotypes, and referenced Kelley’s role as a teacher. Hughes also created a TikTok account to amplify the false narrative by sharing a video containing a screenshot of the message, which further implicated Kelley. This triggered widespread backlash, including death threats and public harassment directed at Kelley, her family, and Clinton Public Schools.
The investigation revealed Hughes had a personal motive, stemming from her connection to Kelley’s then-boyfriend. Prosecutors presented evidence, including messages from Hughes and her associates, Google searches, and prior harassment incidents.
Hughes was sentenced to 10 years for impersonation, with three years suspended, and five years for computer fraud, fully suspended. Additionally, she is barred from using social media for 15 years. However, the hearing took an unexpected turn when Hughes overdosed on insulin mid-proceedings, prompting an emergency response. Despite her outburst and medical incident, Judge Gatlin upheld the sentence, postponing restitution discussions to a later date.
