By MART N. ADAMES
Dominican Republic, Puerto Plateau (AP) On Thursday, Wander Franco, the banned shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays who was accused of sexual abuse, was found guilty but given a two-year suspended sentence.
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Franco was arrested last year on charges of having a four-month affair with a 14-year-old girl and sending her mother thousands of dollars to agree to the illicit connection.
The 24-year-old Franco was also charged with human trafficking and sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor, but he was found not guilty.
During the ruling, Judge Jakayra Veras Garc a told Franco that he had made a poor choice.
She said, “Look at us, Wander.” Avoid approaching children for sex. You must wait your time if you dislike folks who are quite similar to you in age.
Franco was sentenced to five years in jail by the prosecution, while the girl’s mother, who was found guilty and will serve the entire term, was sentenced to ten years.
Regarding the mother’s request that Franco cover her daughter’s tuition and other costs, Veras stated that it seemed she was the one who believed she was handling the bat in the major leagues.
Irina Ventura, Franco’s lawyer, declared she will challenge the judge’s decision, saying, “Clearly, justice was not done.”
Prosecutor Luis Martínez expressed his satisfaction with the decisions, although he did not specify if the government would file an appeal.
Veras studied the extensive quantity of material given by the prosecutors during the trial, including some of the testimony of 31 witnesses, orally before to the three judges’ unanimous decision.
According to Veras, this is a really complicated procedure.
Veras stated: The court has recognized that this minor was coerced more than an hour into her appearance.
Franco looked straight ahead and occasionally leaned forward as the judge went on with her review.
Once the team’s premier shortstop, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract until 2032 in November 2021. However, his career was abruptly ended in August 2023 when Dominican Republic officials revealed they were looking into him for a suspected relationship with a child. At the time, Franco was 22 years old.
Franco was taken into custody by officials in the Dominican Republic in January 2024. He was placed on Tampa Bay’s restricted list six months later, which resulted in the termination of his administrative leave pay.
Since he has been unable to report to the team and would require a new U.S. visa to do so, he was put on that list.
Franco was detained once more in November of last year after what Dominican authorities described as an altercation over a woman’s attention, when he was on conditional parole pending trial. He was accused of unlawfully possessing a semiautomatic Glock 19 that the police claimed belonged to his uncle.
The legal matter is still underway.
Major League Baseball released a brief statement following the decision, stating that it has jointly negotiated a policy on child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence that demonstrates its commitment to these concerns.
MLB stated that it is aware of the Wander Franco trial’s result today and will wrap up its investigation when it is appropriate.
Contributions were made by Associated Press journalists Ron Blum in New York and Dnica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
