Makayla Craig, 29, was arrested Thursday after allegedly attempting to enroll at Maple Grove High School outside Minneapolis while posing as a homeless 17-year-old girl named Molly.
Craig submitted a fraudulent application to the Minnesota school, but staff members grew suspicious and contacted law enforcement before the enrollment was finalized, according to a press release from the Maple Grove Police Department. Craig “never completed enrollment with Maple Grove Senior High School, and he was never present on campus as a student or in any online classes,” the department stated.
During questioning, Craig told police he had never attended school before and wanted to “get the full experience,” according to police. He also expressed concern that he might be mistaken for Makayla Craig — a registered sex offender from Oregon — not acknowledging that he was in fact that person.
Craig now faces multiple felony forgery charges and remains held on $50,000 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for Friday, jail records show.
The Minnesota arrest came just one year after Craig received a 40-day jail sentence in Oregon for an nearly identical scheme. In that April 2025 case, Craig posed as a 15-year-old homeless girl named Madison while attempting to register for high school in Albany, Oregon, using fake documents, according to KGW reporting.
Craig’s status as a registered sex offender stems from a May 2023 conviction for third-degree sexual abuse involving a minor. That conviction resulted in three years of probation and a court order barring contact with children during that period, according to the same outlet.
The Oregon-based KGW referred to Craig using female pronouns in its coverage of the Albany case. Craig was additionally acquitted of DUI in a 2023 jury trial related to a 2020 arrest, the outlet reported.
The Maple Grove Police Department and Hennepin County District Attorney’s Office have been contacted for additional information.