Major League Baseball star Wander Franco will appear in court on charges of sexual abuse of a minor, a judge in the Dominican Republic has ruled.
After an investigation that lasted more than a year, Judge Pascual Valenzuela of the northern province of Puerto Plata ruled that the evidence presented by prosecutors was worth taking the case to trial.
No date has yet been set for the trial, which will be heard by a jury. There are no jury trials in the Dominican Republic.
Franco, a star shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors filed multiple charges against Franco six months after a judge ordered him investigated in connection with alleged sexual and psychological abuse of the girl.
Franco, who has refused to speak to the media, attended the five-hour hearing and said afterward that “everything is in God’s hands.”
Franco, who is accused of abusing an underage girl, will appear in court in January
Teodosio Jáquez, Franco’s lawyer, said the outcome was expected, while prosecutors stated that the judge’s decision validates the evidence presented.
‘It is a strong accusation and the court understood it. The evidence linked the defendants to what is described in the accusation,” said the prosecutor, Claudio Cordero.
Franco arrived at the hearing around 9 a.m. with his head bowed. He kept quiet and listened to his lawyers and prosecutors during his time in court.
Documents prosecutors presented to the judge in July and reviewed by The Associated Press allege that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, wired 1 million pesos, or $17,000, to the minor’s mother on Jan. 5, 2023, to collect agree with the abuse. .
The minor’s mother has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.
Franco (smiling) left the court in Puerto Plata last month with his lawyer Teodosio Jaquez (right)
Prosecutors say the mother of a bank employee’s minor has led a ostentatious life and acquired assets she cannot justify with the money she received from Franco.
During raids on the home of the minor’s mother, prosecutors say they found $68,500 and $35,000, which they allege was delivered by Franco.
If Franco is convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.
Franco, who turned 23 on March 1, was in the middle of his third Major League season when his career was halted in August 2023. In November 2021, he agreed to an 11-year contract worth $182 million.
Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list last month, halting pay he had received while on administrative leave.