MLB Player Convicted of Sexually Abusing Girl, 14

Wander Franco, the suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop facing sexual abuse charges, was found guilty on Thursday and given a two-year suspended sentence. Franco was arrested last year after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time, and of transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship. Prosecutors had requested a five-year prison sentence for Franco and a 10-year sentence for the girl's mother, who was found guilty and would serve the full sentence, the AP reports. Franco, 24, also faced charges of sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.

Before the three judges issued their unanimous ruling, the main judge orally reviewed the copious amount of evidence that prosecutors presented during trial, including testimony from 31 witnesses. More than an hour into her presentation, Judge Jakayra Veras García said, "The court has understood that this minor was manipulated." As the judge continued her review, Franco looked ahead expressionless, leaning forward at times. Franco, once the Rays' star shortstop, had signed a $182 million, 11-year contract through 2032 in November 2021 but saw his career halted in August 2023 after authorities in the Dominican Republic announced they were investigating him on suspicion of having a relationship with a minor. Franco was 22 at the time.

In January 2024, authorities arrested Franco in the Dominican Republic. Six months later, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave. He was placed on that list because he has not been able to report to the team and would need a new US visa to do so. While Franco awaited trial on conditional release, he was arrested again in November last year following what Dominican authorities called an altercation over a woman's attention. He was charged with illegally carrying a semiautomatic Glock 19 that police said was registered to his uncle. That case is still pending in court, per the AP.