A court in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, found baseball player Wander Franco — of the Tampa Bay Rays — guilty of abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor and imposed a two-year prison sentence, though the sanction was suspended with the restriction that he not approach minors.
“As a condition, for the moment, we will only indicate to Wander, as the regulation states, when the penalty is suspended, conditions must be imposed: that he not approach minors for sexual purposes,” said Judge Jakaira Veras García, of the Collegiate Court of the Judicial District of Puerto Plata, alongside her colleagues Venecia Rojas and José Juan Jiménez, during the sentencing hearing.
According to the reasoning of the sentence as read by Judge Veras García, Franco was subject to blackmail and coercion by the minor’s mother to obtain money from the baseball player. Franco’s defense requested acquittal from the charges from the beginning of the trial.
In addition, the minor’s mother was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crime of sexual exploitation of minors. Both Franco and the minor’s mother were fined the equivalent of approximately US $3,650 and US $11,050, respectively. Both had separately denied the charges against them.
Related the mother’s sentence, according to the prosecutor’s indictment, she was also accused of sexual exploitation of the minor, money laundering and enrichment through acts of illicit origin, receiving a more severe sentence.
Upon leaving the trial, Franco’s lawyer said they would wait to read the written judgment and would appeal the ruling, without giving more details. After hearing the sentence, the baseball player burst into tears inside the courtroom and declined to comment to the press.
Luis Martinez, Dominican General Attorney’s officer, refused to comment in regard to Franco’s sentence.
CNN is seeking comment from the prosecutor’s office regarding the sentence imposed on Franco, since they had sought a five-year prison sentence.
Major League Baseball told CNN it is aware of Franco’s verdict and will complete its investigation at an “appropriate time,” without providing further details.
“Major League Baseball is proud to have a collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that reflects our commitment to these issues,” the league added.
Franco has not played with the team since the accusations came to light.
At that time, MLB placed him on administrative leave, while the team declined to make public statements.
The case has garnered national and international attention since August 2023, when Dominican media revealed that Franco was being investigated for allegedly having a relationship with a minor.