Cheerleader's Mother Accused Of Using Deepfakes To Bully Girls On The Squad

A Pennsylvania mother has been accused of cyberbullying some of the girls on her daughter's traveling cheerleading squad. Authorities said that Raffaela Spone, 50, sent deepfake photos and videos to the girls, which appeared to show them posing nude, drinking, and doing drugs.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the messages Spone allegedly sent encouraged her teenage victim to kill herself. The doctored images and videos were also sent to the coaches in an effort to get the girls kicked off the team.

Authorities did not release the motive for Spone's campaign of harassment but said it "was not random" and promised to provide more details during the trial.

Officials said that Spone's daughter was unaware that her mother was responsible for making and sending the deepfakes. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub told NBC News that Spone's use of the doctored images and videos was "disturbing" because of how easy it was for her to create realistic-looking images.

"I don't know mechanically how she was able to do it, but I can tell you that she's an ordinary citizen — I don't know that she has any more technological proficiency than your neighbor down the street," Weintraub said. "It was an unsophisticated attempt, but nevertheless, it was successful."

Photo: Hilltown Township Police Department