A court in the Dominican Republic today convicted Tampa Bay Rays infielder Wander Franco of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl.
Franco, 21 at the time and now 24, was sentenced to two years suspended prison time, according to ESPN, which reported that the judge will outline conditions for Franco to meet before the suspended sentence kicks in. He has not played in the majors since allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a minor first circulated online in 2023.
Last July, Dominican prosecutors brought charges against Franco alleging he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother for the opportunity..
DOMIINCAN JUSTICE: Wander Franco was found guilty, but won’t serve prison time.
Prosecutors sought a five-year sentence for Franco, who also faced charges of sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking. They sought a 10-year sentence for the girl’s mother, who was found guilty and will serve the full term.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Jakayra Veras García addressed Franco directly during her ruling.
“Look at us, Wander,” she said. “Do not approach minors for sexual purposes. If you don’t like people very close to your age, you have to wait your time.”
Exactly how Franco’s major league career will be affected by the news remains unclear. He will not be imprisoned unless he violates the terms of his suspended sentence. But the lighter sentence does not change the fact that a conviction could threaten his ability to obtain a work visa, which are generally denied to those convicted of “crimes of moral turpitude.” And MLB, which often follows the lead of law enforcement when weighing suspensions, could still levy its own discipline. In the meantime, Franco will remain on the league’s restricted list, the result of his failure to report to the Rays while engaged in legal proceedings, not the result of those proceedings themselves.
“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 said in a statement. “We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.”
Franco, a hyped prospect at the time of his MLB debut at the age of 20, was signed by the relentlessly stingy Rays to an 11-year deal worth at least $182 million in 2021 — after he had taken just 281 major league at-bats.
At the time, the deal looked like a steal, allowing Tampa Bay to keep one of its young stars into his prime at a relatively affordable price. Franco hit .282 with a .795 OPS in his first three major league seasons and saw his power jump in the first few months of 2023. He was on track to become a superstar, a player the Rays were on track to build around for the foreseeable future.
That changed in August 2023, when social media posts began circulating suggesting he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor. MLB placed Franco on its restricted list, then administrative leave, which meant he was not allowed to play while it investigated the claims but was paid during his absence.
In the years since the allegations first surfaced, Franco has all but disappeared from the team’s publicity efforts and advertising. Franco would be owed $8.5 million if he were active this year, per the terms of his contract. Only two Rays, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz, will be paid more.
By placing him on the restricted list, however, Franco remains under contract for the term of his deal, but the Rays do not have to pay him for it.
By CHELSEA JANES/Washington Post
Chelsea Janes is the national baseball writer in sports. She was The Washington Post’s beat writer for the Washington Nationals from 2014 to 2018 and was a sports intern for The Post in 2013. She also previously covered the 2020 presidential campaign.
