Aransas County brothers Joshua Nguyen and Brandon Nguyen were back in court this week over their alleged sexual abuse of an underage Rockport-Fulton student.
A criminal docket call, held October 14 at the Aransas County Courthouse in Rockport, confirmed 13 felony charges against the Nguyens and set preliminary dates for trials in 2027, although court officials expect delays of at least a year.
Josh Nguyen, 42, was a teacher in the Rockport-Fulton Independent School District and director of Texas Coastal Academy at the time of the alleged sex crimes and also served briefly as executive director of the Aransas County Navigation District.
He is facing five counts of improper relationship between educator and student and four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, according to Wednesday’s docket call, although an indictment filed in September included an additional count of improper relationship. All the charges are second-degree felonies punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison.
Brandon Nguyen, 30, was indicted on three counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony, and one count of sexual performance by a child, a second-degree felony.
The court confirmed preliminary trial dates for both cases: November 11 for a pre-trial hearing, January 6 for an announcement, and a January 11 jury trial.
Background
Josh Nguyen was a marine science teacher at Rockport-Fulton High School and director of Texas Coastal Academy, an after-school maritime vocational program Nguyen founded with Andrew Kane and Jeff Hutt.
In the Fall of 2025, Josh Nguyen left his school district job and was hired by the Aransas County Navigational District, which owns and manages coastal properties, as executive director and harbor master. His father, Long Nguyen, is an elected ACND commissioner.
In a Texas Coastal Academy press release, Josh Nguyen called his transition “an opportunity to further expand its programs.”
Josh Nguyen was first arrested December 2025 on charges including sexual assault of a child. His alleged victim was a female RFHS student and participant in the TCA program.
An Aransas County grand jury indicted Josh Nguyen in August 2026 on four counts of improper relationship. A September 2026 indictment charged him with six counts of improper relationship and four counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Brandon Nguyen was also arrested in August and again in September. He operates a local floating fishing cabin called The Office, where some of the sex crimes allegedly took place. A discovery inventory obtained from the district clerk’s office lists a seven-page “criminal history” for Brandon Nguyen, with a notation of “restricted view.”
Brennen Nguyen, Brandon’s twin, is named as an “involved party” in the criminal allegations against his brothers but has not been charged.
All three Nguyen brothers and Texas Coastal Academy are defendants in a related civil lawsuit against Rockport-Fulton ISD and Rockport-Fulton High School Principal Jodi Carter, brought by the girl at the center of the criminal charges.
The lawsuit alleges that Josh Nguyen began sexually grooming the girl when she was 14 or 15 years old, using his positions of authority with the school and TCA to prey on the student and gain her parents’ trust. Josh, Brandon, and Brennen Nguyen then allegedly engaged in sexual activities with the minor multiple times at multiple locations from 2023 through 2025.
The school district and Principal Carter are accused of knowing about Josh Nguyen’s inappropriate relations with his student but failing to intervene or report the abuse allegations to authorities.
All defendants have denied the allegations.
Impacts
The lawsuit against Rockport-Fulton ISD is among the first filed under a law enacted in 2025, known as House Bill 4623, that removed school districts’ immunity from civil liability if they are negligent in enabling an educator’s sexual abuse of students.
If successful, the civil suits will serve to hold school systems accountable and deter officials from ignoring or covering up sexual misconduct.
The civil and criminal cases are also intertwined with plans for future development of the area’s waterfront contemplated by Aransas County Navigation District commissioners and Texas Coastal Academy.
In the wake of the sex abuse scandal, ACND placed Josh Nguyen on leave then voted in March to fire him as executive director. Nguyen’s father, Precinct 4-4A Commissioner Long Nguyen, recused himself from the vote; At-Large Commissioner Tommy Moore abstained.
Long Nguyen announced in August that he intended to resign from the ACND and would not seek re-election this November. Nguyen later confirmed he would serve out the remainder of his term.
Moore also announced in August that he would not seek re-election in November after nearly two decades as the navigation district’s at-large commissioner.
In August 2025, Moore applauded Josh Nguyen’s leadership skills and said, “After getting his arms around ACND operations, we hope he will continue to assist the young people of Aransas County in securing careers in our region’s growing marine industry.” Four months later, Josh Nguyen was arrested for sexually assaulting a Texas Coastal Academy student.
Moore confirmed during the ACND’s October 5, 2026, meeting that TCA had planned to use a proposed new facility in Cove Harbor for training students. He said the company leasing the ACND property had decided not to build the shop, adding that TCA is “on hold.”
Texas Coastal Academy’s website is inactive, but its most recently listed board members were Andrew Kane, Jeff Hutt’s wife, Christy Hutt, and Susan Ocker, wife of Nguyen’s attorney in the civil suit, Matt Ocker.
Navigation District candidates Josh Wilson and Matthew Lynch are now running unopposed for the ACND Precinct 4-4A and At-Large positions, so their names will not appear on the ballot.
Voters in Precinct 2 will have an opportunity to choose between incumbent Martin Diaz De Leon and challenger Gerilyn Hibbeler.
Early voting starts October 19. Election Day is November 3. More information is available on the Aransas County Elections website.
Texas Scorecard’s previous coverage of these cases can be found here.
