RICARDO HERNANDEZ / AP
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, is escorted by police to court in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Friday, Jan. 5. Dominican prosecutors on Wednesday accused Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that he had a relationship with a minor whose mother also faces the same charges.
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic >> A sentence handed down Friday ordered the probation of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco as he faces an investigation into allegations that he had an affair with a 14-year-old woman and gifted her mother a car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent. according to court documents received through The Associated Press.
The sentence handed down on Wander allowed him to leave the Dominican Republic but forced him to return once a month to meet with the authorities. He also ordered the payment of 2 million Dominican pesos ($34,000) as bail while the investigation continues.
Wander, who was scheduled to be released early Saturday, did not speak to reporters after the hearing ended. During a bathroom break later that day, he briefly told reporters that “it’s all in God’s hands. “
Supporters who gathered outside the courthouse clapped after the ruling and shouted “Boss! Boss!” in reference to Franco. Franco’s father, also called Wander Franco, exclaimed, “God is just.”
The 22-year-old All-Star is charged with sexual exploitation advertising and money laundering. The judge in charge of the case, Rumaldi Marcelino, had several elements to rule on Friday: release Franco on bail, temporarily arrest him, save him. prevent you from leaving the Dominican Republic, or require you to appear until the conclusion of the investigation or trial.
The girl’s 35-year-old mother, who faces the same charges as Franco, has been placed under space arrest while the investigation continues. She smiled as she left the courtroom but made no comment. The AP is not naming the woman to protect 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 a user who saw a media article alluding to the relationship. The AP was unable to determine the reported message.
Authorities accuse Franco of taking the girl from her home in Puerto Plata in December 2022 and having a four-month courtship with her with the consent of 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 she asked a local online media outlet 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.
A few days later, Franco posted a live video claiming it was a scheme to extort him out of cash, the document says.
In September 2023, the government raided the home of the girl’s mother and confiscated 800,000 Dominican pesos ($13,700) and $68,500, which were allegedly found hidden in a frame. Another seizure of another house exposed a guarantee certificate from a local bank in the amount of 2. 1 million Dominican pesos ($36,000) that they said had been issued through 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 was escorted through an array 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 to a courtroom.
Outside, a small group of young Dominican players donned in baseball attire gathered to support Franco, carrying posters that read, “Free Franco,” and “We all are 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 and this year is $2 million per season.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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