MLB Player Escapes Punishment in Sex Abuse Case

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was declared criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, but he will not serve a sentence for it, a Dominican judge ruled Monday. Judge José Antonio Núñez, in his decision, considered that Franco had been the victim of extortion and blackmail by the minor's mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually trafficking her daughter. "It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and at the same time exempt him from punishment. The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one," explained Núñez. The judge justified the judicial pardon as a "logical and legal reasoning."

"Thank God for everything," Franco expressed as he effusively embraced his mother, Nancy Aybar, and other family members who accompanied him in court. Franco was arrested in January 2024 after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time and transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship. After the ruling, Franco left the courthouse alongside his lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez, and briefly answered reporters' questions, saying, "I feel calm," and asking his fans to "continue supporting me and trusting in me." Franco also said he personally had not contacted the Rays but that his lawyers surely had. Six months after his arrest, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.

"We are aware of today's verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time," Major League Baseball said in a statement. Franco attorney Jáquez said: "We don't have the physical sentence in our hands, but he was exempted from punishment because the president of the court established that he was also a victim and because he is exempted from punishment through judicial pardon." The full sentencing will be June 16.