12-Year-Old Groomed to be Dominatrix by Mother

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The daughter is now 20. Her name, nor the name of her mother, are not being released in an effort to protect her privacy.

Federal prosecutors who state they investigated the case for more than two years have arrested Todd B. Barkau, 35, of New York state, and the now 44-year-old mother of the alleged victim. Authorities indicate that at the age of 12 the girl was "groomed" by Barkau to be a dominatrix and was forced to perform sex acts on him, as well as numerous other men over a period of two years, beginning when the girl turned 14. The business was run out of their Missouri home, and the girl was advertised on the Internet as being 19 to 20 years of age. That same Internet served as her training ground, as the reports indicate that she was subjected to viewing pornographic materials on line as a way to improve her sexual prowess.

Barkau was recently arrested in Niagara Falls and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Saturday. The mother was arrested in Dallas and will be seen in court for the first time on Monday. Both are being held without bond.

No information was available regarding the whereabouts of the 20 year old victim.

The mother is being charged with encouraging and participating in the venture, with Barkau being charged for running an illicit business.

Prosecutors will be seeking to recover the $80,000 the couple profited while running their "sex trafficking" business.

OK - there is just something not right here. First of all, this all took place back in 2000. Federal prosecutors indicate that they were aware of this situation for more than two years, beginning in 2002 when the girl was 14 and ready to be "turned out" essentially by her own mother and the mother's boyfriend. Then for two years, until this girl was 16 the Feds merely "investigated" while this young woman was being sold for sex on the Internet.

Now, finally, in 2008 they arrest the couple which apparently are no longer living together and charge them with running an illicit business and are seeking to recover the $80,000 they earned while prostituting this child. Excuse me?

What the hell have they been waiting for? Why would they sit idly by while this girl was being sold as meat to all takers online? Why are they only after the cash and not charging them with some higher crime involving sexual abuse and molestation charges?

This story makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. If the allegations and subsequent charges are correct, if the timeline being presented is accurate, there is something extremely wrong with the Federal process in this country.

I am not sure who is the bigger criminal here, the mother and boyfriend for abusing this young girl, or the Federal authorities who sat around and watched this girl being sold on the Internet for years and years, all the while doing nothing but taking notes to further their "investigation".

Disgusting all the way around.