Wander Franco, the former Tampa Bay Rays star, lost his court appeal in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, with the court upholding his guilty verdict for sexually abusing a minor. The ruling included a three-year suspended sentence, which is akin to probation.
The 25-year-old Franco was arrested in 2024, following allegations that he engaged in a four-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Investigators claimed he transferred thousands of dollars to the girl’s mother in order to secure her consent for the illegal relationship.
Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in November 2021, faced significant disciplinary actions after the Dominican Republic authorities announced an investigation into his alleged conduct in August 2023. At the time, he was 22 years old.
In late June 2024, a three-judge panel found Franco guilty of sexually abusing a minor but acquitted him of charges related to sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor and human trafficking. Following the announcement of the investigation, the Rays placed him on the restricted list, which ceased his pay while he was on administrative leave.
The court noted that Franco is not serving jail time because judges determined he was a victim of blackmail by the girl’s mother. His last game with the Rays was in August 2023.
