A court in the Dominican Republic declared professional baseball player Wander Franco guilty of sexual abuse of a minor on Thursday and imposed a suspended sentence of two years in prison.
Franco, a 24-year-old former shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League Baseball, was also fined the equivalent of ten minimum wages in the Dominican Republic. He will avoid going to prison as long as he complies with the conditions set by Judge Jakayra Veras, who stated that “the court understood that there was manipulation” of the victim.
The player had been accused of having a relationship with a 14-year-old teenager, with the consent of the minor’s mother. According to the prosecution, the events took place in Dominican territory and included payments and arrangements for trips that constituted sexual exploitation.
The victim’s mother was also convicted in the same ruling. She received a sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine equivalent to 30 minimum wages. The Public Ministry had requested five years in prison for Franco and ten for the minor’s mother.
Franco had been under investigation since August 2023 and was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball (MLB), the organization with which he has not played since then.
Considered at one point one of the most promising prospects in baseball, Franco signed a contract extension in 2021 for 11 years and 182 million dollars with the Rays, a team with which he has not stepped on the field since the start of the legal process.