Ex-San Jose school staffer pleads guilty to paying students for explicit photos, videos
By Tim Fang
A former staffer at a San Francisco Bay Area school is facing a potential sentence of life in prison after he was convicted in a scheme where he paid students to create sexually explicit images and videos, prosecutors said.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California announced that 46-year-old Todd Baldwin pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of online child enticement and two counts of receiving child pornography. Prosecutors said Baldwin also admitted to online enticement of two additional victims and possession of child pornography on devices seized during a search of his home.
Baldwin had previously served as operations manager at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. He was arrested in August 2023.
According to the plea agreement, from October 2021 through August 2023, Baldwin persuaded several boys to create the photos and videos. The victims were students at Valley Christian and at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill.
“Specifically, Baldwin admitted that he paid four boys, aged 16 and 17, thousands of dollars via Venmo and CashApp money transfers to create child pornography images and videos for him. Baldwin told some of the boys that he would resell the images and videos to buyers online,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Baldwin also solicited and collected dirty underwear and clothing from the victims for resale to buyers online, prosecutors said.
During a search of Baldwin’s home, authorities said they found several electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material. School president Clifford Daugherty said in 2023 that the school placed the employee on administrative leave during the investigation and that they were cooperating with authorities.
“We acted swiftly to cooperate with the investigation. When we are alerted to allegations of serious misconduct within our community, we remain committed to transparency and will share updates as the authorities permit,” Daugherty said. “Our security measures, coupled with our rigorous hiring practices, are regularly assessed internally and externally to ensure alignment with best practices and legal standards. Yet, the news of this incident remains deeply disturbing and is completely antithetical to our Christian faith and values.”
Baldwin, who now lives in Bremerton, Washington, is out on bond with what prosecutors described as “stringent conditions” including home detention and electronic monitoring. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, along with fines and restitution.
Prosecutors said Baldwin’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2027.
