HOUSTON — Federal authorities believe there might be more victims after they charged a former gymnastics and martial arts coach from Alvin with multiple child pornography crimes.
Franklin Joseph Perkins, 40, is charged with transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography, the United States Attorney's Office announced.
Perkins worked at the Kuk Sool Won Dojo and Gulf Coast Gymnastics, both of which are in Alvin.
He appeared before a judge on Wednesday and was ordered to remain in custody.
Two victims have been identified by authorities, but they think there could be more. Anyone who thinks they could have been a victim or have information about other victims is asked to call Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Galveston at 409-443-0103.
"We entrust our children to the care of instructors, coaches and other authority figures. We cannot and will not take these kinds of allegations lightly," U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said. "But, we also need your help. Our goal is not only to secure justice but to also make sure any and all possible victims have their voices heard. If you or anyone you know has been in contact with Franklin Perkins and have knowledge of any potential crime, please come forward."
According to authorities, the investigation started when they found out about "child sexual abuse materials" uploaded to an account that was controlled by Perkins. When they executed a search warrant at his house, they found more content on a Google Drive account. They also found non-pornographic photos of apparent underage girls in gymnastics outfits as well as screenshots of young girls' social media accounts.
During the investigation, two women came forward and said they were sexually assaulted by Perkins when they were minors and he was their gymnastics coach.
If convicted, Perkins faces between 5 and 20 years in federal prison for the transportation and receipt charges and up to 10 years for possessing child pornography. Each charge also carries a potential fine of $250,000 as well as other monetary charges, including mandatory restitution of no less than $3,000 per victim.