Verdict in trial of Rays shortstop Wander Franco to come Thursday

A verdict in the trial of Rays shortstop Wander Franco will be announced Thursday, the presiding judge said following closing arguments Monday in the Dominican Republic.

Franco had been charged with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking and faced the possibility of up to 30 years in prison.

But during Monday’s session in Puerto Plata and in a subsequent news release, prosecutors indicated only that Franco is being tried for sexual abuse. They asked for a five-year prison term and for Franco to pay a fine equal to 10 times the minimum wage in the Dominican Republic, plus court costs.

The charge stems from an alleged relationship with a minor that prosecutors said started in December 2022 and lasted until February 2023, when Franco left for Florida to attend spring training and the World Baseball Classic. He was 21 at the time, the girl 14.

“We are requesting a five-year prison sentence for the proven crime of sexual abuse against a minor,” prosecutor José Martínez said, according to the Associated Press.

The girl’s mother is charged with sexual exploitation and money laundering due to accusations that she received large sums of money from Franco to allow the relationship with her daughter to continue. During raids on her house, prosecutors said, $68,500 and $35,000 were found that they said was provided by Franco.

Prosecutors seek a 10-year sentence for the mother, plus a fine equal to 30 times the minimum wage and forfeiture of assets acquired during the alleged crime.

In a news release, the Public Ministry said prosecutors presented 165 pieces of evidence, “which they considered sufficient” to issue a guilty verdict against the defendants.

That evidence included bank statements, bank certifications, copies of checks and money transfer receipts, which prosecutors said demonstrate a financial relationship between Franco and the minor’s mother.

Irina Ventura, one of Franco’s attorneys, argued that there is no conclusive evidence linking him to the alleged acts and requested his acquittal.

According to Dominican newspaper Diario Libre, Ventura also requested that other sanctions against Franco, such as monthly check-ins with a judge, be lifted, saying “there are interests seeking to harm his athletic career.”

Prosecutor Claudio Cordero explained the request for the shorter sentence.

“This law establishes a maximum sentence of up to 30 years, but that doesn’t mean it’s the one we’re requesting or that the court will impose it,” he said, per Diario Libre.

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“We believe the appropriate sentence we have requested is precisely based on the characteristics already established in relation to both defendants.”

According to ESPN’s Juan Arturo Recio, closing arguments got heated “during the stages of reply and counter-reply between the parties, where the prosecutors pointed out that the defense did not present evidence that contradicted theirs or their theory of the case and the defenses pointed out that the MP (Public Ministry) did not prove the existence of the crimes for which it is pursuing the defendants.”

After hearing from both sides, presiding judge Jakayra Veras said the case was complex, “taking into account the volume of evidence and the allegations. Veras said the three-judge panel would begin deliberations, with a decision to come Thursday at 3 p.m.

Franco was allowed to address the court Monday morning but chose to speak only briefly, saying, “Let justice be done.”

Franco, 24, has not played for the Rays since word of the relationship surfaced on social media in August 2023, a month after he made his first All-Star appearance.

Prosecutors filed charges against Franco in July 2024. The evidence, which included direct testimony from the girl in a private session, was then reviewed by a judge, who ruled in September that it merited proceeding to a trial.

Franco has been on Major League Baseball’s restricted list, and not paid, since charges were filed. Hanging in the balance of the verdict could be his career, as well as the remaining $164 million of the $182 million, 11-year contract he signed with the Rays in November 2021.

If Franco is found innocent, he still could face discipline from Major League Baseball, which is waiting until resolution of the legal process to conclude its own investigation. A player can be suspended even without a guilty verdict.

Franco also faces charges in the Dominican Republic for illegal possession of a firearm stemming from an unrelated incident in November 2024. Punishments can range from six months to five years in prison. A trial date for those charges has not yet been set.

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