A man who worked as a hockey mascot was jailed Friday after investigators traced child sexual abuse material to his apartment and cellphone, authorities said.
Matthew Francis
Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Matthew Francis @matthewcfrancis
09/12/2026 9:00 a.m.
Matthew Francis, 29, Allentown, self-described as Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ “Manager of Fun”, was charged with felony counts of sexual abuse of children/possession of child sexual abuse material and criminal use of a communication facility.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, playing their home games at PPL Center in Allentown.
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The investigation began Sept. 4, when Pennsylvania State Police received two tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about videos depicting child sexual abuse material that had been uploaded, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan and Troop M Capt. Seth Kelly said.
Investigators traced the IP address used for the uploads to Francis’ apartment in the unit block of North Seventh Street, according to the release. The cellphone number used to upload the files also matched Francis’ number, police said.
The videos depicted children as young as 5 being sexually abused, investigators said.
Allentown and state police searched Francis’ apartment Friday, Sept. 11, and found at least two additional videos depicting child sexual abuse material on his cellphone, authorities said.
During an interview at the apartment, Francis admitted possessing the images and said he kept them in a secured folder on his cellphone, according to court records.
Francis was taken into custody during the search and arraigned Friday. He was sent to Lehigh County Jail on $100,000 bail.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18, before Magisterial District Judge Karen Devine.
Francis was previously listed on the Phantoms’ website as its “Manager of Fun,” though references to him had been removed by Friday afternoon. His LinkedIn profile says he joined the organization in November 2025 after working as mascot coordinator for the Sacramento River Cats, a minor league baseball team.
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“I am a professional mascot performer with over ten years of experience,” Francis wrote on the profile. “I am always looking for new ways to connect with fans, and I love being able to entertain people of all ages.”
He also listed past mascot work with sports organizations in Maryland, including the Aberdeen IronBirds and Maryland Black Bears Hockey.
Courtney Zubey, the Phantoms’ director of integrated marketing and community, said Francis has been suspended pending the investigation’s outcome.
“We were made aware of the matter and are cooperating with authorities and police,” Zubey said.
When asked whether the alleged crimes were connected to Francis’ work with the Phantoms, Holihan said investigators had no information suggesting inappropriate physical contact with children.
“The information we have at this time only indicates that he possessed child sex abuse material and uploaded it on two different occasions,” Holihan said.
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