A Tulsa-area man who has already had his federal probation revoked twice now faces new federal charges after investigators say a forensic review of a phone he was not supposed to have turned up hundreds of searches for child sexual abuse material and more than a dozen illicit files. Mark Franklin Jr. is charged in federal court with possession of child sexual abuse material, the latest chapter in a case that stretches back to 2019.
According to News On 6, a forensic review of an unauthorized phone Franklin possessed identified 382 internet searches seeking or requesting child sexual abuse material along with 13 files showing children being sexually abused, according to the outlet's reporting on the forensic findings. Investigators say the files included an infant or toddler being sexually abused and a 7-to-9-year-old girl being sexually assaulted by an adult man. The station reports that phone was sent for forensic review in May 2026, with the results surfacing in August.
The station also reports that Franklin talked to girls on Snapchat while posing as a minor, and that he possessed two unauthorized phones in total — devices his probation officer did not know about. News On 6 says it contacted Franklin's attorney for comment, and no response had been received.
A Case That Began With A 14-Year-Old In Owasso
Franklin's federal record traces back to 2019, when, while working as a neighborhood security guard, he was accused of texting a 14-year-old girl in Owasso, per the same account. That girl, Skiyelee Testerman, has since spoken publicly about the case; Franklin worked as her neighborhood security guard at the time he was accused of sending her inappropriate text messages.
Franklin was convicted in 2021 of lying to federal investigators during the investigation into those messages. He was originally sentenced to two years of federal probation, with a six-month federal prison term imposed later after a probation violation. Testerman told News On 6 that the outcome of Franklin's original case never felt like justice.
Coaching Under A False Name Broke His First Probation
Franklin's first probation revocation came in April 2024, roughly two years after his original sentencing. Per the same account, he had obtained a volunteer position as an assistant girls' soccer coach in Oologah using a false name, and was also caught possessing a phone unknown to his probation officer, before leaving the coaching role prior to administrators learning of his criminal history. A judge responded by sentencing him to six months in prison and two additional years of probation.
The pattern repeated less than a year later. In March 2025, a surprise home inspection turned up an unreported vehicle, an unmonitored phone, and alcohol, triggering a second probation violation. Franklin was eventually tracked down and arrested by U.S. Marshals near 77th Street and South Yale Avenue in Tulsa in October 2025, the station reports.
Six Admitted Violations Led To A Second Prison Term
At a revocation hearing on November 25, 2025, Franklin admitted to six distinct probation violations committed in August and September 2025 — including failing to report losing his job, failing to update his address, missing drug tests, and skipping mandatory counseling sessions, according to News On 6's reporting. A judge revoked his federal supervised release that day and sentenced him to nine months in federal prison, followed by supervised probation scheduled to run from June 2026 through December 2027.
Before that supervision period began, the newly discovered phone was sent for forensic review, and its contents later surfaced, leading to the fresh federal charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2252A, the available legal material describes statutory penalty ranges for possession of child sexual abuse material, according to FindLaw, but does not establish how any specific criminal-history provision would apply to Franklin. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines § 2G2.2 contains enhancements, but the available material from Deandra Grant Law does not establish which specific provisions, if any, apply here.
Broad Judicial Power Behind Repeated Revocations
Franklin's repeated returns to prison without a new trial reflect the mechanics of federal supervised release itself. Under 18 U.S.C. § 3583, federal judges hold broad statutory authority to revoke supervised release based on a preponderance of the evidence — a lower bar than the standard required for a criminal conviction — without a jury, according to Varghese Summersett.
Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006, was involved in a Northern District of Oklahoma case, per the U.S. Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood has also been involved in a Northern District of Oklahoma case. Federal courts in the district have handed down significant sentences in similar cases recently — Hoodline reported in February that a Tulsa man received an 87-month sentence for a CSAM file case following an FBI digital forensic investigation. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, of the 66,662 cases reported in fiscal year 2025, 1,432 involved child pornography, and such offenses increased 18% since fiscal year 2021. The U.S. Sentencing Commission has published a Fiscal Year 2024 Eighth Circuit statistical packet.
Testerman: 'He's Had Multiple Chances To Change'
Testerman told News On 6 she doubts Franklin's behavior will change without a lengthy prison term. “He hasn't changed. He's had multiple chances to change. He's not going to,” she said. She added that she believes Franklin would repeat the conduct unless he received years in prison.
Testerman also reflected on how the years-long ordeal has affected her personally, telling the station, “I learned a lot about myself through it. That I'm stronger than I thought I was.” News On 6 reported that it reached out to Franklin's attorney for comment on the new charges but had not received a response.
