Wander Franco arrived at court in the Dominican Republic on Friday morning to appear before a judge over his alleged inappropriate relationship with a minor.
The 22-year-old, who denies the charges, was arrested earlier this week after missing a meeting with the prosecutor investigating the case.
Franco, a shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, was initially scheduled to appear in court in his home country on Wednesday. Prosecutors filed the case, but the All-Star's court appearance has now been postponed until Friday at 9 a.m.
The MLB star was transported to the Puerto Plata courthouse on Friday morning, arriving in handcuffs and escorted by police.
Franco kept his head down and remained silent despite questions from the media in his home country as he entered the building.
MLB star Wander Franco arrived at the court in the Dominican Republic on Friday morning
The Tampa Bay shortstop arrived for his hearing on his alleged relationship with a minor
Franco was arrested earlier this week after missing a meeting with the prosecutor in the case
The case, which has reportedly been codenamed “Operation Out 27,” took a turn earlier this week when the alleged victim's mother was reportedly arrested on suspicion of blackmailing the MLB All-Star.
“She probably blackmailed him with money,” a lawyer from the Dominican Republic told News Channel 8.
The underage girl, who has not been named for legal reasons, told investigators in the Dominican Republic that her mother took advantage of her relationship with Franco for her own benefit.
“Since I was little, my mother has seen me as a way for her to take advantage of both the partners she has had and my partners, and it is something I really hate,” the minor said, according to a court document obtained by the Dominican Republic. news broadcast Noticias Sin.
The document, which is part of the evidence presented in court on Wednesday by the Public Prosecution Service, shows that the girl's mother, whose name has not been publicly released, approved of Franco's relationship with the then 15-year-old “before a period of four months in 2022.
Franco allegedly visited the family home on “December 9, 2022, he took her with him for a period of two days… (and) had sexual relations with the teenager,” the complaint said.
Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop Franco (left) reportedly had a four-month relationship with a then 15-year-old girl in the Dominican Republic, which was approved by her mother
The police report showed that the teenage girl told a psychologist that her mother had “received an amount of RD$100,000 for seven months” from Franco, who had bought her a car.
In exchange for the money, the woman gave permission for the dates on which Franco and her daughter went.
Outside court on Friday, a lawyer representing the alleged victim's father said he became aware of his daughter's alleged relationship with Franco through social media. CDN, a point of sale in the Dominican Republic.
The alleged relationship came to light in August after the National Agency for Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Family and Gender Violence received an anonymous tip.
According to the prosecutor's office, the agency was alerted that “a teenager had sent a message to publicize that she was having a relationship with the baseball player… and that she wanted it published because her mother, the accused, was tired of her, and that she took money from the suspect and that she did not give her anything.'
Dominican Republic prosecutors found that Franco had allegedly made monthly payments of $100,000 Dominican pesos ($1,700 USD)
Franco was ordered to meet with authorities from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Children and Adolescents in the city of Santo Domingo on December 28.
Local newspaper Listin Diario released a video showing officials waiting for the MLB star and listing him as a no-show.
Then on Monday, after finally visiting authorities investigating the case, Franco was arrested in Puerto Plata.
The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list — and subsequently on paid administrative leave — in August when MLB launched an investigation into social media posts indicating Franco was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.