Dominican judge denies request to lift court order against Rays' Wander Franco in sex abuse probe
A Dominican judge denied a request by Wander Franco to suspend required monthly meetings with authorities investigating allegations the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A judge denied a request by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco to suspend required monthly meetings with Dominican authorities investigating allegations he had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, according to a document The Associated Press obtained Friday.
Franco is accused of sexual and psychological abuse and remains under conditional release as the investigation against the All-Star player continues.
He has not been formally charged, but Dominican authorities are allowed to detain suspects who are under investigation, with a judge later deciding whether there is sufficient evidence for charges to be filed.
Prosecutors have alleged that Franco paid the minor girl’s mother thousands of dollars for her consent to the relationship, which lasted four months. The girl’s mother is charged in the case and remains under house arrest. The AP is not naming the woman in order to preserve her daughter’s privacy.
Franco’s attorneys requested that the court return the $33,000 he had to deposit to obtain conditional release after being detained for a week in his native country in early January.
The judge also denied that request after prosecutors rejected it and asked that all measures taken against Franco be upheld “since (his) presence must be guaranteed at each step of the process.”
Franco’s attorneys have appealed both decisions, which were issued in March. A ruling is pending.
Franco was having an All-Star season before being sidelined in August, when Dominican authorities began their investigation as did Major League Baseball, placing Franco on the restricted list on Aug. 14 before moving him to administrative leave on Aug. 22. Both investigations are ongoing.
MLB is likely to wait until the Dominican investigation is concluded before deciding whether there will be any discipline.
Franco, who turned 23 on March 1, was in the midst of his third major league season when his career was halted and was hitting .281 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 40 attempts over 112 games.
Franco signed a $182 million, 11-year contract in 2021. His salary last year and this year is $2 million per season.