PHILADELPHIA, PA – District Attorney Larry Krasner has announced the conviction of Rodney Watkins, the founder of a traveling youth skateboarding team named Powerfulnailya, on charges of assaulting six minors. Watkins, born on October 11, 1968, was arrested in December 2020 following reports to the Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit by two adult complainants about abuses they suffered as children in 2011 and 2012.
The initial charges led to additional victims coming forward, with five more adult complainants reporting Watkins’ grooming and assault when they were minors. Watkins entered a no contest plea on six of the seven charges against him during a pre-trial hearing. The seventh charge was withdrawn due to statute limitations.
Watkins has been convicted of three counts of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse of a Child, one count of Aggravated Indecent Assault – Person Less than 14 Years of Age, three counts of Corruption of Minors, and two counts of Unlawful Contact with Minors. His sentencing is set for May 3, 2024, before Judge Lucretia Clemons.
DA Krasner praised the efforts of the Philadelphia Police SVU, the DA’s Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, and the legal team involved for securing Watkins’ conviction and providing justice for the survivors, highlighting the process spared them from a potentially retraumatizing trial.