Former martial arts and gymnastics coach, Franklin Joseph Perkins, has been charged with multiple child pornography offences, including transportation, receipt, and possession of child pornography. These charges were filed against Perkins after an investigation uncovered suspected child sexual abuse materials uploaded using an online account under his control. A federal search warrant executed at his residence also uncovered child sexual abuse content stored in a Google Drive account linked to Perkins. Additionally, non-pornographic images of underage minors in gymnastics clothing and screenshots of young girls’ social media accounts were discovered. Two women, who were once minors in Alvin, have also come forward, alleging sexual assault and inappropriate contact by Perkins during his time as a gymnastics instructor.

U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani has highlighted the severity of the allegations and has urged the public to come forward with any information pertaining to Perkins. Mark Dawson, special agent in charge for HSI Houston, has stressed the importance of identifying victims of child sexual exploitation to assist law enforcement and the victims’ families. At a detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison ordered Perkins into custody pending further criminal proceedings, deeming him a danger to the community. If convicted, Perkins could face a minimum of five to 20 years in federal prison for transportation and receipt charges, and up to 10 years for possessing child pornography. Authorities have identified at least two alleged victims, but they suspect there may be more, and are urging anyone with information to contact Homeland Security Investigations in Galveston or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.