Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

A Florida Teen and Her Mother Were Charged With Rigging a Homecoming Queen Election. Now, the Teen Could Face Up to 16 Years in Prison. A teen was accused of hacking into her high school's computer system to vote for herself for homecoming queen.

By Fatma Khaled

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A teen and her mother were charged for allegedly hacking into the computer accounts of hundreds of students to cast fake votes at a homecoming queen contest, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

Emily Grover, an 18-year-old student at Tate High School Pensacola in Florida, is being charged as an adult and could face up to 16 years in prison if convicted for unauthorized use of technology.

The teen and her mother Laura Carroll are accused of casting a total of 246 fake votes for the homecoming queen election. Investigators said they found that 117 of the votes came from the same IP address that was traced to Carroll, according to a warrant affidavit obtained by ABC News.

Carroll worked as an assistant principal at Bellview Elementary School in Pensacola. She reportedly had authorized access to FOCUS, the district's computer program that contains personal information about students, including their ID numbers, medical histories and test scores. The program also gives access to a third-party vendor called Election Runner, which students at Tate used to cast votes for homecoming court in October, according to ABC News.

Grover, who has since been suspended from her high school, allegedly used her mother's FOCUS account to cast votes for herself using other students' names, the outlet reported. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said that Grover and her mother accessed 372 high school records — most of which belonged to Tate — beginning August 2019, NBC News added.

As a result, the police department launched a four-month investigation into the incident, which ultimately led to the two women's arrests in March. Both women have been charged with felony offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices.

According to an affidavit, Grover emailed the district superintendent, saying "I have never been in trouble but I was recently suspended for 10 days for unauthorized use of technology, for using my mom's password and looking at information I should not have seen in FOCUS."

Randall Etheridge, an attorney representing both women, told ABC News that he had filed a written not-guilty plea with the court and requested a jury trial. Both Carroll and her daughter are scheduled for an arraignment in Pensacola on May 14.

Fatma Khaled

Freelance Writer

Fatma Khaled covers different news beats ranging from tech, finance, retail and international business to human interest and social justice stories. She previously reported for Business Insider, TheStreet and New York Daily News.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

At 16, She Started a Side Hustle While 'Stuck at Home.' Now It's on Track to Earn Over $3.1 Million This Year.

Evangelina Petrakis, 21, was in high school when she posted on social media for fun — then realized a business opportunity.

Health & Wellness

I'm a CEO, Founder and Father of 2 — Here Are 3 Practices That Help Me Maintain My Sanity.

This is a combination of active practices that I've put together over a decade of my intense entrepreneurial journey.

Business News

Remote Work Enthusiast Kevin O'Leary Does TV Appearance Wearing Suit Jacket, Tie and Pajama Bottoms

"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary looks all business—until you see the wide view.

Business News

Are Apple Smart Glasses in the Works? Apple Is Eyeing Meta's Ran-Ban Success Story, According to a New Report.

Meta has sold more than 700,000 pairs of smart glasses, with demand even ahead of supply at one point.

Money & Finance

The 'Richest' U.S. City Probably Isn't Where You Think It Is

It's not located in New York or California.

Business News

Hybrid Workers Were Put to the Test Against Fully In-Office Employees — Here's Who Came Out On Top

Productivity barely changed whether employees were in the office or not. However, hybrid workers reported better job satisfaction than in-office workers.