California High School Coach Allegedly Paid Students for Explicit Photos

A person types on a computer keyboard in Toronto on Oct. 9, 2023 in this photo file. The Canadian Press/Graeme Roy

A teaching assistant and coach at a Christian school in California has been arraigned in federal court on charges of enticement of minors and receipt of child sexual abuse material.

Todd Baldwin, 44, was an employee of Valley Christian High School in San Jose as a sports coach, teaching assistant, and operations manager. Between December 2022 and August 2023, Baldwin allegedly paid two boys, as well as at least two other students, thousands of dollars via app-based payment services to produce child pornography for sale online. The complaint alleged that Baldwin designated the victims as his “Teacher Assistants.”

Authorities charged him by complaint on Oct. 10, as well as “by information” on Nov. 19. When charged via information, a defendant is formally accused of crimes, and criminal proceedings can move forward without the need to convene a grand jury.

The information formally charges Baldwin with two counts of enticement of minors as well as two counts of receipt of child pornography.

Baldwin, who currently resides in Bremerton, Washington, allegedly convinced two boys, who were in high school at the time, to create sexual material in exchange for money. According to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, the first boy, who was 17 at the time of the abuse, approached Baldwin and asked if the school had any work he could do in order to make money.

Baldwin allegedly suggested the boy take pornographic photographs of himself which Baldwin would sell on social media platform Reddit. The two would then split the profit. Baldwin allegedly paid the boy via the mobile payment app Venmo.

The boy took the photographs and videos—every week for numerous weeks—and then sent them to Baldwin via Snapchat and Gmail. Baldwin allegedly purchased the boy a ring light to improve the quality of the images and videos.

Baldwin also allegedly organized a photo shoot in his office at Valley Christian, during which he took sexually explicit photos of the boy, who received several hundred dollars for the shoot.

The first boy told the second boy, a student at Live Oak High School in San Jose, about his arrangement with Baldwin. The second boy, 16 at the time, contacted Baldwin via Snapchat, and then sent him 20 images or videos 2 to 3 times a week. Baldwin allegedly paid him via Venmo a total amount of $2,500 for all of the content.

In August 2023, Baldwin agreed to speak to detectives with the San Jose Police Department. He admitted to receiving pornographic images and videos from the boys, as well as two additional Valley Christian High School students.

Baldwin turned himself in to federal authorities in San Jose on Oct. 28, 2024, and made his first appearance in court that same day. Baldwin, who is presently on conditional release, is scheduled to next appear in court on Feb. 4, 2025.

Baldwin could face life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. He also faces a maximum fine of $250,000.

Baldwin’s attorney did not return The Epoch Times’ request for comment by publication time.

An investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Jose Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Squad led to the case against the former faculty member.

According to an October 2022 report by the nonprofit organization Thorn, which advocates against child abuse, one in six minors between the ages of 9 and 17 years old have shared their own self-generated explicit photo. One in five minors say they have seen non-consensually re-shared explicit content. According to a Common Sense report, 54 percent of youth were exposed for the first time to explicit content online by the age of 13.