Major League Baseball star Wander Franco will go on trial accused of sexually abusing a minor, a Dominican Republic judge 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 worthy of the case going to trial.
No date has been set for the trial, which will be conducted by a panel of judges. In the Dominican Republic there are no jury trials.
Franco, star shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, has been accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors filed multiple charges against Franco six months after a judge ordered him to be investigated in connection with alleged sexual and psychological abuse of the girl.
Franco, who has refused to speak to the media, attended the hearing that lasted five hours and stated afterwards that ‘everything is in God’s hands.’
Franco, accused of sexually abusing a minor, will appear in court in January
Teodosio Jáquez, Franco’s lawyer, said the result was expected while prosecutors declared that the judge’s decision validates the evidence presented.
‘It is a solid accusation and the court understood it. The evidence linked the defendants to what was described in the indictment,’ said the prosecutor, Claudio Cordero.
Franco arrived at the hearing around 9 a.m. with his head bowed. He remained silent and listened to his lawyers and prosecutors during his time in court.
Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge in July and that were seen by The Associated Press alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos or $17,000 to the minor’s mother on January 5, 2023, to give consent to the abuse. .
The minor’s mother has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.
Franco (smiling) leaves court with his lawyer Teodosio Jáquez (right) in Puerto Plata last month.
Prosecutors claim that the minor’s mother went from being a bank employee to leading an ostentatious life and acquiring assets that she cannot justify with the funds she received from Franco.
During the raids on the minor’s mother’s home, prosecutors say they found $68,500 and $35,000 that they allege was given by Franco.
If convicted, Franco could face up to 20 years in prison.
Franco, who turned 23 on March 1, was in the middle of his third major league season when his career came to a halt in August 2023. He agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021.
Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list last month, cutting the pay he had been receiving while he was on administrative leave.