September 30, 2026 – LOS ANGELES, CA – A South Bay family therapist was sentenced on Tuesday to 200 
months in federal prison for installing a hidden camera in the stall of a women’s bathroom located at his place of work where he provided therapy services to, among others, young girls.
Joseph Toews, 31, of Manhattan Beach, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr., who also fined him $50,000, ordered him to pay a special assessment of $55,000, and ordered him placed on supervised release for a term of 25 years once Toews eventually is released from prison.
Toews pleaded guilty on June 23 to one count of production of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since April 14.
According to court documents, in January 2023, Toews installed a video-recording device in the bathroom stall of a women’s bathroom, located at his place of work. Toews, while providing therapy services, affixed a video recording device in the publicly available women’s bathroom in the same building as his office. His video recording included the minor victims, some of whom received therapy services from him, including, among other methods, play therapy.
While the recording device was active, Toews captured at least 11 separate videos of the minor victims.
Toews further admitted in his plea agreement that, from January 2023 to December 2025, he knowingly received child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including purchasing sexually explicit videos of children via darknet online video stores.
“His conduct was not a spur of the moment happening,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[Toews] had been stockpiling CSAM prior to his decision to create CSAM of his own.”
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section prosecuted this case.
Source: DOJ Release