After a lengthy investigation by San José police and the FBI, a former staffer at a private San Jose Christian high school now faces federal charges for allegedly soliciting pornography and dirty underwear from teen students.
According to the San Jose Police Department, detectives with the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a report in August 2023 that a staffer at Valley Christian Schools had “explicit digital media” involving minors. The next day, they arrested Todd Baldwin, 44, and searched his office and home.
Last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San José brought a criminal complaint against Baldwin, accusing him of enticing two male teens, age 16 and 17, to provide pornographic images and videos between October 2022 and August 2023. According to court records, Baldwin has yet to enter a plea.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” said Clifford E. Daugherty, president of Valley Christian High School, in an email statement to the Times. “Since the start of the investigation in August of 2023, we have fully cooperated with the San José Police Department and will continue to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation progresses.”
Baldwin, former director of facilities, teaching assistant and sports coach at Valley Christian High School, had worked for the school since 1998. He was placed on administrative leave at the start of the investigation and is no longer employed by the school.
According to the complaint, the 17-year-old was a student at Valley Christian High School when Baldwin allegedly offered him money to take sexually explicit pictures and videos of himself, which Baldwin then sold on Reddit. The complaint also accuses Baldwin of asking the 17-year-old to give him underwear he’d worn to athletic practice, which Baldwin also allegedly sold online.
In total, Baldwin paid the teen $4,265 from the sales, authorities alleged. At one point, the complaint alleges, Baldwin purchased a ring light to improve the quality of the photos and had the 17-year-old pose for naked photos in his Valley Christian School office.
Baldwin later recruited the 16-year-old student from nearby Live Oak High School through Snapchat and paid him $2,050 for pornographic media that was sent via social media and email, the complaint alleges.
The complaint further alleges that Baldwin admitted to soliciting sexually explicit images from two other male students at Valley Christian High School. According to federal prosecutors, authorities have found evidence that would suggest at least three other underage victims were recruited.