Rays’ Wander Franco Receives Sentence For Sexual Abuse Case

Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic.

Franco, 24, was on trial for sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking. Franco was convicted of having an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21, with his two-year prison sentence being suspended, according to ESPN’s Juan Arturo Recio.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan provided some context on the sentencing, which carries a five-year probationary period. If he fails to meet conditions set by the judge — the main one being he does not approach minors with sexual intentions — he will have to serve the two-year sentence.

Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, the mother of the victim, was found guilty of sexually trafficking her daughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to Arturo Recio.

Franco is currently on MLB’s restricted list for failure to report to the Tampa Bay Rays, and regardless of the sentence being suspended, the conviction is likely to make it difficult for him to get a work visa in the United States.

MLB has not issued any statements on his case since he was placed on administrative leave in August of 2023.

Franco was among the best players in baseball when authorities began investigating allegations he had been in a relationship with a minor and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. Franco, according to authorities, transferred roughly $17,000 (through his mother) for consent to the abuse.

“Franco Aybar abducted the victim for sexual purposes for several days in the municipality of Villa Montellano, in the province of Puerto Plata,” Dominican prosecutors said during the trial, per The Daily Mail. “(He) then sent large sums of money to her mother (also under indictment) to prevent her from reporting him.”

Franco is also facing separate gun-related charges in the DR and could face up to five additional years behind bars if convicted.