Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is on MLB’s restricted list. File Photo by Steve Nesius/UPI | License Photo
Dominican prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence for Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco, who faces charges of sexual abuse involving a 14-year-old girl, they announced Monday.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office also seeks a 10-year sentence for the victim’s mother, who they argue sexually trafficked her daughter.
They requested for Franco, 24, to be imprisoned at the San Felipe Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Puerta Plata. Prosectors said they presented 165 pieces of evidence at trial, which they “considered sufficient to convict the defendants.”
“On the fourth day of the trial against Franco Aybar for child sexual abuse and the victim’s mother for sexual exploitation and money laundering, the Public Prosecutor’s Office deployed its experts, who were able to clearly establish the conversations between the accused, confirming the existence of sexual abuse by the defendant, in addition to the payment to the victim’s mother to avoid being reported and continue the relationship with the minor,” litigating prosecutors said earlier this month.
Franco, who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021, was formally charged last year with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor. The All-Star shortstop is currently on MLB’s restricted list.
