SAN JOSE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Northern), published as received.
SAN JOSE- Today, Scott Keith Baldwin, Jr., a dual resident of San Jose, California and Reston, Virginia, pleaded guilty to Count One of an Information filed against him on February 3, 2026, charging him with conspiracy to distribute child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, Scott Keith Baldwin, Jr., 58, was an active member of an invite-only online group dedicated to sharing and/or posting live links, as well as saved files, containing child sexual abuse material. In July of 2024, following an online investigation into the group, law enforcement agents executed a residential search warrant at Baldwin’s home in San Jose. A hard drive seized from this residence was found to contain images and videos from over 150 known child exploitation series, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors and toddlers.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble made the announcement.
Baldwin is currently in federal custody. Baldwin’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2027, at 9:00 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Beth L. Freeman. Baldwin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, a special assessment of up to $35,000, and must pay restitution to his victims. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Harris of the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigated the case, with substantial assistance from both the FBI Washington, DC and FBI San Francisco Field Offices.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
