Trial for suspended Rays shortstop Wander Franco to resume Monday in Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The trial of suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who faces charges of sexual abuse involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, will resume on Monday in the Dominican Republic.
The court announced the move Tuesday.
After five hearings in which prosecutors and defense attorneys presented their evidence, the judges decided to suspended the trial. The closing arguments and conclusions from each side will be presented in court on June 23.
Franco, who was charged in July 2024 and is on supervised release, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
'I'm going to feel good, because everything is in God's hands now,' the 24-year old Franco said while leaving the hearing.
The judges explained that the adjournment for so many days is to analyze everything presented by the parties in order to make a decision.
'The Public Prosecutor's Office has evidence and will present its findings next Monday, June 23, and request the appropriate sentence for each of the accused,' prosecutor Claudio Cordero said at the end of the hearing.
Teodosio Jáquez, Franco's lawyer, insisted that there is no evidence linking the player to the crimes for which he is accused.
'That young man's future is being cut short, simply because of comments on social media,' Jáquez added.
Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge last year and were viewed by The Associated Press alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos ($17,000) to the mother of the minor on Jan. 5, 2023, to consent to the purported abuse.
The mother of the minor has been charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.
Franco also has been charged with sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.
Franco was in his third major league season when his career was halted in August 2023. He agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He is currently on Major League Baseball's restricted list after initially being placed on administrative leave.
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