Lawsuit Initiated Against Wander Franco in the Dominican Republic
PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic – The trial against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco began this Monday in the Dominican Republic, in a sexual abuse case involving a 14-year-old minor. Franco, present in court, declared to the judges that he seeks justice.The player has been accused in the province of Puerto Plata of sexual abuse of a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.
During the first hearing, prosecutors presented documents as evidence against Franco, 24, and added that they will call at least seven witnesses in a trial that is expected to continue on Thursday, Friday, and June 9.
Franco heard the charges against him and could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.Irina Ventura, one of Franco’s lawyers, stated that some of the evidence against her client is fraudulent and illegal. Teodosio Jaquez, another member of the player’s legal team, assured that the minor denied having had sexual relations with the player.“I heard everything they said, but I wanted to say that justice must be done,” Franco stated to the judges.
Wander Franco
Prosecutor Claudio Cordero stated that all the evidence “was obtained legally, is self-sufficient, and will lead to a conviction, which is what the prosecution seeks.”
Franco was having an All-Star season in 2023 before Dominican authorities began investigating allegations that he had a relationship with a minor and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. The trial was initially scheduled for December 12, but was postponed until June.The trial could take up to eight months to conclude, based on the average duration of trials in the Dominican Republic.
