A staffer at a California Christian school paid underage students thousands to create child porn — with one shoot in his school office — then sold it online along with their used underwear, according to authorities.
Todd Baldwin, 44, allegedly confessed to receiving nude images from at least four minors, mostly students from Valley Christian High School in San Jose, where he was the facilities director as well as a teaching assistant and sports coach, according to court documents.
He even bought one 17-year-old student a ring light to “improve the quality” of his illegal content — and gave the teen a pair of underwear, which he also sold online once they were used, according to the documents.
Baldwin first offered a 17-year-old student money to take sexually explicit videos and photos of himself when the teen asked if he knew of any jobs around campus, the complaint said.
The teen later told cops that Baldwin got him to pose naked in sexual positions during a shoot in his office at Valley Christian, the documents said.
The staffer then sold the porn on Reddit — and paid the boy $4,265 from the proceeds, authorities claimed.
The boy – identified as Minor Boy 1 in the complaint – told a 16-year-old friend about his arrangement with Baldwin in August 2023, according to the authorities.
The second teen – known as Minor Boy 2, and a pupil at a nearby school – reached out to Baldwin on Snapchat, and eventually sent him “about 20 pictures or videos 2-3 times a week for a number of weeks” — getting paid around $2,500 via Venmo, the complaint alleged.
Baldwin was arrested and interviewed by the San Jose Police Department after the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip about the disturbing material.
He allegedly confessed to receiving nude images from multiple minor boys in exchange for money – including Minor Boy 1, Minor Boy 2, and two others students at Valley Christian, the complaint said.
A review of Baldwin’s Venmo and email accounts revealed images, videos and suspicious payments with at least three other minor boys, investigators noted.
Baldwin was charged last week with two counts of enticing a minor following a year-long investigation by police and the FBI, the documents said. He did not appear to have entered a plea in the case as of Thursday.
He was placed on leave from Valley Christian when the investigation got underway last year, and is no longer on staff at the school.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority,” said Clifford E. Daugherty, president of Valley Christian High School, told the Los Angeles 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.”