Dominican Judge Pardons Wander Franco in Minor Abuse Case as Girl's Mother Gets 10 Years
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 25
Dominican Judge Pardons Wander Franco in Minor Abuse Case as Girl's Mother Gets 10 Years
14 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 25
Judge José Antonio Núñez ruled Monday that Wander Franco was criminally responsible for sexual and psychological abuse of a minor but exempted him from prison through a judicial pardon.
The court said Franco was also a victim of extortion and blackmail by the girl's mother, who was sentenced to 10 years for sexually trafficking her daughter.
Franco was arrested in January 2024 over a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14, with prosecutors alleging he transferred thousands of dollars to her mother to facilitate it.
MLB said it is aware of the verdict and will conclude its investigation later, while the full sentencing is set for June 16 and Franco remains on the restricted list.
The ruling deepens the fallout from the shortstop's 11-year, $182 million Rays contract, signed before the 2023 investigation derailed his career.
Found guilty of abuse but pardoned as a 'victim,' can Wander Franco's career survive a verdict barring him from entering the United States?
Why does a Dominican court's pardon not erase a guilty verdict that ends Wander Franco's $182 million MLB career under US law?