California father allegedly complicit in daughter, 16, selling nude photos online, sheriff says
EL DORADO COUNTY – Detectives have arrested a California father who was allegedly complicit in a scheme that saw his underage daughter sell nude photos online.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office says they started investigating the case in August.
As detectives and the High Tech Crimes Unit learned, a 16-year-old girl with a "very well known online presence on a variety of social media platforms" was allegedly selling illegal nude photos. She had managed to make about $40,000 in sales, detectives say.
Investigators also allege that the girl's father not only knew about the activity – he was allegedly complicit in the profit.
No further details about the father's alleged involvement in the scheme have been released, but detectives served a search warrant at his residence on Nov. 15 and took him into custody.
Julie Bornhoeft works for WEAVE, a provider of crisis intervention for sexual assault victims. She says this stands out as particularly painful.
"This is someone dependent on a parent," Bornhoeft said. "We will see cases that they're carrying two phones – one is the phone the teens have, one is the phone the trafficker expects them to answer and be available."
"Seeing a parent involved is less common certainly."
The father is facing a long list of charges:
- Child abuse with the possibility of great bodily injury or death
- Human trafficking- causing a minor to engage in sex
- Transporting a minor under 16 for a sex act
- Pimping for a prostitute over 16
- Using a minor for an obscene matter
He remains in custody on $4 million bail.
Legal analyst Candice Fields says the separate charges of under- and over-16 could indicate the timeframe the alleged crimes played out.
"It's hard to know whether that was over a period of months between the ages of 15 and 16 or whether this had been going on over a longer period of time," Fields said.
CBS13 is not naming the father due to the risk of identifying the daughter, who is a victim and a minor.