(5 Jan 2024)
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Puerto Plata, Dominica Republic – 5 January 2024
1. Various of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco arriving in court
STORYLINE:
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco arrived in court on Friday to face a judge scheduled to rule whether there is enough evidence to pursue charges of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering against the 22-year-old All-Star.
Dominican prosecutors accused Wander Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a minor whose mother is also at the court this Friday to face the same charges.
Prosecutors requested that a judge hold Franco on an $86,000 bond, bar him from leaving the Dominican Republic, and place him under house arrest.
They noted the money laundering charges stem from allegations that Franco made payments to the minor’s mother.
The judge is scheduled to analyze the documents and other evidence collected during a month-long investigation and issue a ruling Friday in a courtroom in the northern Dominican Republic province of Puerto Plata, where the alleged act occurred.
Major League Baseball placed Franco on administrative leave in August under its joint domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse policy with the players’ association. He was paid and received service time while on leave.
There is no timetable for a conclusion of the MLB’s investigation and whether the results might lead to discipline by the commissioner’s office.
AP video shot by Martín Adames and Ramón Carmona
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Wander Franco
