A South Bay family therapist was sentenced Tuesday to more than 16 years in federal prison for installing a hidden camera in a women’s bathroom at his workplace and recording minors who received therapy services from him.
Joseph Toews, 31, of Manhattan Beach, was sentenced to 200 months in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
DOJ Joseph Toews, 31, was sentenced Tuesday to more than 16 years in federal prison for installing a hidden camera in a women’s bathroom at his workplace and recording minors who received therapy services from him
Toews, who has been in custody since April 14, pleaded guilty on June 23 to one count of production of child pornography.
According to court documents, Toews installed a hidden camera in January 2023 inside a women’s bathroom stall in the building where he worked.
The device captured at least 11 separate videos of minors, according to federal prosecutors. Some of the victims had received therapy services from Toews, including play therapy.
In his plea agreement, Toews admitted that between January 2023 and December 2025 he knowingly received child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and purchased sexually explicit videos of children through online stores on the darknet.
“His conduct was not a spur of the moment happening,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “[Toews] had been stockpiling CSAM prior to his decision to create CSAM of his own.”
The judge also fined Toews $50,000, ordered him to pay a $55,000 special assessment and sentenced him to 25 years of supervised release following his prison term.