(KRON) — A man who worked as a sports coach and teaching assistant at a high school in San Jose was convicted on Tuesday for paying students to take explicit images and videos, which he then sold to buyers online, federal prosecutors said.
Todd Baldwin, 44, worked at Valley Christian High School as an operations manager, teaching assistant, and sports coach when the crimes took place between October 2021 and Aug. 2023, prosecutors said. His juvenile victims were students at Valley Christian in San Jose and Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, according to the U.S. Attorney Northern District of California.
On Tuesday, Baldwin pleaded guilty in court to child enticement and receipt of child pornography. He is now facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Investigators said they found evidence showing Baldwin persuaded boys to create child sexual abuse materials in exchange for money. One of the victims sent him numerous images weekly, court documents state. In one instance, Baldwin photographed a student while the boy was nude inside an office at Valley Christian High School.
Prosecutors wrote, “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.”
Todd Baldwin (San Jose Police Department)
The former coach sold the images to buyers on Reddit. Profits from the Reddit sales were split between Baldwin and the victims, investigators said. He also bought of the victims a Ring light to “improve the quality of the images and videos produced,” court documents state.
He communicated with minors using Snapchat, Venmo, and Gmail, to persuade, induce, and entice victims, according to prosecutors.
Stanford used AI to change students’ race, gender, weight
The case was investigated by the FBI and San Jose Police Department. Baldwin was interviewed by SJPD detectives in August 2023.
Valley Christian Schools fired Baldwin in 2023 after learning about the investigation. When Baldwin was charged by federal prosecutors in 2024, school officials told KRON4 that the allegations “diametrically opposed to our values and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The safety and well-being of our students has always been, and remains, one of our highest priorities. Valley Christian Schools follows rigorous hiring standards, which exceed the standards required under state law, and regularly reviews and strengthens safety protocols.”
Baldwin, who moved in Bremerton, Wash., is out of custody on bond. His sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 26, 2027. When he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Freeman, he will face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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