An Alvin man, formerly employed as an instructor at a local martial arts studio and gymnastics center, has entered a guilty plea to charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Franklin Joseph Perkins, age 41, submitted his plea on the eve of his trial, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Perkins, previously associated with Kuk Sool Won martial arts studio and Gulf Coast Gymnastics, was implicated when investigators found that child pornography was uploaded to Google servers under an account linked to him. Subsequent scrutiny tied Perkins to multiple Google accounts and usage of his cell phone to obtain and keep illicit material.
With the plea being accepted by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, Perkins is scheduled for sentencing on April 15, 2025. He faces a minimum of five years and could receive up to 20 years for receiving CSAM, and up to 10 years for possession thereof. In addition, the former instructor might be ordered to pay fines up to $250,000, a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, plus a special assessment that could total $35,000 under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act along with a mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 for each victim, as per the same U.S. Attorney's Office statement.
This case is a product of Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in 2006 targeting the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Homeland Security Investigations, Pearland Police Department, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force teamed up in this investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Leo, Carrie Wirsing, and Colton Turner took on the prosecutorial roles. For further information on Project Safe Childhood, citizens are encouraged to visit www.usdoj.gov/psc, where resources on internet safety education are also readily available.
