My ex and father of our 3 children was catfished by a girl he met on a dating app.

She lied about her age. We would later find out from the FBI that she was a 13 year old girl posing as an of age college student from our city (she was states away).

My ex became involved in a “textationship” with her unknowing the real identity behind the profile. At one point there was a sexting exchange, in which she sent a photo (I’ve seen it- very up close, pixelated, snap of a body part, no face).

The FBI showed up and arrested my ex one morning a few months later. They charged him with receipt, possession, and production of child pornography for receiving that one photo of the girl via text.

I went to all of his hearings and such. I learned there were 9 other men (some of the FBI personnel had to excuse themselves from my ex’s case for conflict of interest cos they had already worked on the ones with the other men)! Same image, same girl, in the same trouble.

My ex got sentenced 13 years.

I’m sure it was easier for the mother of this girl to blame all of these men instead of accepting that she failed to keep tabs on her daughter, but whatever.

I can’t even begin to describe what this situation took from me and my children. I can’t even begin to understand HOW he was even allowed to be prosecuted this way when he did not know he was interacting with a girl this age.

One grainy, crap, photo of a single body part. They never even met. There are guys getting way less time for actual rape.

Now my children will grow up parentless. I haven’t been able to work in 2 years because I literally don’t have anyone to watch my kids My ex always did. My savings has run out and we are going to be homeless. I just don’t know anymore. This whole thing has made me suicidal. My life will never be functional again. It just doesn’t seem just at all. What am I missing?