A California family therapist is prison-bound after he hid a camera in a women’s bathroom stall located at his workplace and recorded young girls, including some who were his therapy clients, federal prosecutors said.
A judge sentenced Joseph Toews, of Manhattan Beach, to 16 years and 8 months in prison on Tuesday, September 29, following his guilty plea in June, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Toews, 31, was also fined $50,000 and ordered to pay a $55,000 special assessment, prosecutors said. The judge ordered for Toews to be placed on supervised release for 25 years once Toews completes his time behind bars.
His sentence comes after Toews pleaded guilty on June 23 to one count of production of child pornography.
Toews described his actions as “absolutely disgusting” when he spoke at sentencing, per The Los Angeles Times.
“I would just like to express my deepest apologies to the children that were harmed,” he said. “I accept that I may never be offered forgiveness.”
The FBI arrested Toews earlier this year while he was working as a therapist in Manhattan Beach. He’s been in custody since April 14, according to prosecutors.
In a May 20 news release, the FBI said Toews allegedly produced “child pornography by surreptitiously recording girls between approximately 8-12 years old in what appears to be a public restroom in a workplace.”
He also was accused of buying “graphic” child pornography over the dark web.
An investigation revealed Toews installed a hidden camera in a women’s bathroom stall located at his workplace in January 2023, according to prosecutors.
He captured at least 11 different videos of minors, including those who saw him for therapy services, such as play therapy, prosecutors said.
As part of Toews’ plea agreement, he acknowledged that he also received child sexual abuse material [CSAM] from January 2023 to December 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He allegedly bought some of the child sexual abuse material from video stores on the dark web, prosecutors said.
“His conduct was not a spur of the moment happening,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum, adding that he “had been stockpiling CSAM prior to his decision to create CSAM of his own.
Toews worked as an associate marriage and family therapist at Neuro Wellness Spa in Manhattan Beach, according to court documents viewed by KTLA. He had allegedly installed the hidden camera at a different workplace, prior to working for the business.
Prosecutors didn’t specify where Toews worked when he was accused of hiding the camera.
Toews’ defense attorney didn’t immediately return a request for comment from Us.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or is the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov.
