A Dominican judge on Friday ordered the probation of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco as he faces an investigation into allegations that he had a brief relationship with a 14-year-old woman and gave her mother a toy car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent. according to court documents received through The Associated Press.
The judge said Franco is allowed to leave the Dominican Republic but must return once a month to meet with authorities.
Franco, who was due to be released early Saturday, did not speak to journalists once the hearing ended.
The 22-year-old All-Star is accused of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. The girl’s 35-year-old mother faces the same charges as Franco. The AP is not naming the woman in order to preserve her daughter’s privacy.
Franco, who was arrested Monday in the northern province of Puerto Plata, has not been charged with any crime. The ruling received a document of about 600 pages detailing the evidence accumulated by prosecutors in an investigation that lasted several months.
The athlete’s lawyers have commented only that Franco is “fine”.
Prosecutors said the investigation began after receiving an anonymous tip in July 2023 from someone who had noticed a media report alluding to the relationship. The Palestinian Authority could not determine the reported message.
Authorities accuse Franco of taking the minor away from her home in Puerto Plata in December 2022 and having a four-month relationship with her with consent from the girl’s mother.
They accuse Franco of sending the mother monthly payments of $1,700 for seven months and buying her a car “in order to allow the relationship and let her go out with him wherever she wanted,” according to the document, which quoted the girl.
The woman also reportedly said that she asked a local virtual media to publish an article about her alleged relationship with the baseball player because she was “tired” of her mother, whom she accused of taking Franco’s cash and not sharing it with her.
Days later, Franco published a live video alleging it was a scheme to extort money from him, the document stated.
In September 2023, authorities raided the home of the girl’s mother and seized 800,000 Dominican pesos ($13,700), as well as $68,500 they said was found hidden behind a frame. Another seizure at a different home found a guarantee certificate from a local bank for 2.1 million Dominican pesos ($36,000) that they said was delivered by Franco for the “commercial and sexual exploitation” of the girl.
In addition, they seized a Suzuki Swift valued at $26,600, according to the document. Authorities said that a few days before buying the car, the teen’s mother had the equivalent of $821 in her bank account. The mom also bought an asset in Puerto Plata valued at $26,600. $36,000, they said.
Authorities also claim that Franco’s mother sent cash to the girl’s mother, but she has not been charged in the case, saying she was concerned “about saving her son from being discovered in the defendant’s home. “
Franco arrived at the Puerto Plata courthouse on Friday morning and remained silent as he escorted him through an organization of reporters who peppered him with questions. The girl’s mother, who works at a local bank and wears sunglasses, also declined to comment as she was escorted into a courtroom.
Outside, a small organization of young Dominican players dressed in baseball uniforms approached Franco, holding signs that read “Free Franco” and “We are all Franco. “
Franco enjoyed an All-Star season before being sidelined in August, when the Dominican Republic government began investigating allegations that he was dating a minor. Major League Baseball filed its own investigation, removing Franco from the shortlist on Aug. 14 before attacking. He placed him on administrative leave on Aug. 22. Both investigations are ongoing.
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2021. His annual salary this year is $2 million per season.