Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic on Thursday and received a two-year suspended sentence. The court found he had an illegal relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21 and playing for the Rays.
The Rays moved Franco to the team’s restricted list in July of last year, meaning he has not received pay or major league service time since. The team’s decision came after authorities in the Dominican Republic concluded their investigation by announcing charges against Franco and the girl’s mother for sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor, human trafficking, and money laundering.
The teenager’s mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual trafficking on Thursday.
The suspended sentence means that Franco, 24, won’t have to serve the full two years in prison as long as he meets certain conditions—the most important of which is not approaching or contacting minors with sexual intentions, according to ESPN.
“We respect the legal process in the Dominican Republic and believe it is important to allow it to run its course,” the Rays said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “We will continue to fully cooperate with Major League Baseball as it monitors the situation. Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.”
Franco and his attorneys have denied the allegation that he paid the girl’s mother roughly $1,700 a month and bought her a car to continue a relationship with the teenager. In December, his attorneys requested that the case not be delayed so Franco could return in time for spring training.
The conviction will make it challenging—if not impossible—for Franco to obtain a work visa to return to the U.S. and MLB. As long as Franco cannot enter the U.S., he will remain on the restricted list and the Rays do not have to pay him.
“Sexual abuse of a minor is an aggravated felony as well as a crime of moral turpitude under the immigration law,” Amy Maldonado, a lawyer who specializes in sports immigration, told Front Office Sports. “He’s never getting back in, even if MLB wanted him which I highly doubt that they do. There is theoretically a waiver for a P-1 visa, known as a 212(d)(3) waiver, but there is no way that a consular officer would recommend one on these facts.”
In 2021, Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million guaranteed deal with Tampa Bay. At 20 years old, had only recorded 104 days of major league service time when he executed the biggest deal in franchise history. It was also the largest deal in MLB history for a player with under a year in the big leagues.
The Rays placed Franco on the administrative list in August 2023 after allegations of the relationship surfaced on social media. During that time he earned half of his $2.4 million base salary, which was set to significantly increase this season.
MLB has not concluded its own investigation into Franco under the joint league and union policy against domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. A criminal conviction for sexual abuse of a minor is an act that would violate the policy.
