LOS ANGELES — A Manhattan Beach family therapist was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in federal prison for using a hidden camera to record girls in a women’s restroom in the building where he worked, according to the Justice Department.
Joseph Toews, 31, received the 200-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who also imposed a $50,000 fine, a $55,000 special assessment and 25 years of supervised release after prison.
Toews pleaded guilty June 23, 2026, to one count of production of child pornography. He has been in federal custody since April 14, 2026.
Hidden camera recorded therapy patients
According to court documents, Toews installed a recording device inside a stall in a publicly accessible women’s restroom in January 2023. The restroom was in the same building as his therapy office.
He recorded at least 11 videos of girls, some of whom were his patients and received services that included play therapy.
Purchased child sexual abuse material
Toews also admitted in his plea agreement that he knowingly received child sexual abuse material from January 2023 through December 2025, including videos he purchased from online stores on the darknet.
Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that his conduct was deliberate and that he had accumulated child sexual abuse material before producing his own.
The FBI investigated the case.
🔴 Quick fact checklist
- 🔴 Defendant: Joseph Toews, 31, of Manhattan Beach.
- 🔴 Occupation: Family therapist.
- 🔴 Prison sentence: 200 months — 16 years and eight months.
- 🔴 Conviction: Production of child pornography.
- 🔴 Hidden camera: Installed in a women’s restroom stall in January 2023.
- 🔴 Recordings: At least 11 videos of girls, including some therapy patients.
- 🔴 Financial penalties: $50,000 fine and $55,000 special assessment.
- 🔴 Supervised release: 25 years after prison.
- 🔴 Investigating agency: FBI.