PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — Wander Franco, the one-time rising Major League Baseball star whose career was halted after charges of sexual abuse in 2023, was found guilty Thursday in his sexual abuse of a minor trial.
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Wander Franco was found guilty Thursday in his sexual abuse of a minor trial.
Dominican prosecutors had asked for a five-year prison sentence for Franco, who debuted for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021.
The allegations came to light through social media posts that surfaced on Aug. 13, 2023.
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Franco received a two-year suspended sentence, according to ESPN’s Juan Arturo Recio. He can appeal the verdict.
Dominican prosecutors had asked for a five-year prison sentence for Franco, who debuted for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 as one of the most highly touted prospects in franchise history.
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Wander Franco ha sido condenado a DOS (2) años de prisión suspendida. Tendrá varias condiciones que debe cumplir y si falla, tendrá que cumplir la pena completa.
La magistrada presidente le advirtió que la condición esencial para su libertad condicional es que no…
— Juan Arturo Recio (@JuanRecioM) June 26, 2025
Juan Arturo Recio’s tweet translated by Google Translate
In a prepared statement, MLB said: “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. We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.”
Meanwhile, the Rays released a statement that said: “We respect the legal process in the Dominican Republic and believe it is important to allow it to run its course. We will continue to fully cooperate with Major League Baseball as it monitors the situation. Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
The verdict ends a chapter that saw Franco charged with transferring large sums of money to the 14-year-old’s mother to consent to the illegal relationship.
The allegations came to light through social media posts that surfaced on Aug. 13, 2023, one day after Franco went 1 for 5 in a 6-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Franco didn’t play in the Sunday finale of that series and hasn’t donned a Rays uniform since.
He is currently on Major League Baseball’s restricted list after initially being placed on administrative leave. As long as he remains on the restricted list, the Rays are not required to pay him.
Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge last year and were viewed by The Associated Press alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos ($17,000) to the mother of the minor on Jan. 5, 2023, to consent to purported abuse.
Franco’s legal team maintained his client’s innocence when it comes to those claims.
Irina Ventura, one of Franco’s attorneys, said part of the evidence against her client was fraudulent and illegal. Teodosio Jaquez, another member of the player’s legal team, said the underage girl denied having sexual relations with Franco.
The teenager testified behind closed doors as part of the trial, which was supposed to begin late last year but was postponed until it started a few weeks ago.
The mother of the minor was charged with money laundering and was placed under house arrest.
Franco was named to the American League All-Star team in 2023, when he was 22, and had agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He signed with the Rays as an international prospect in 2017 at the age of 16, and while with Triple-A Durham in June 2021, he was promoted to the major leagues. In his Rays debut on June 22, 2021, he hit a three-run home run against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
Major League Baseball did not plan to rule on Franco’s status until the trial was over and the league had a chance to conduct its own investigation.
Franco was charged in June by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic for illegal possession of a handgun after an altercation in a parking lot in San Juan de la Maguana.