Rays shortstop faces suspended sentence

Wander Franco, the shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, received a three-year suspended prison sentence on Thursday. A Dominican appellate court in Puerto Plata issued the verdict after finding the 21-year-old player criminally responsible for the sexual abuse of a minor.

The ruling nullifies a judicial pardon granted to Franco in May 2026. The court’s decision reverses that earlier relief, placing the player under a conditional sentence structure rather than releasing him from liability entirely.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Franco engaged in sexual relations with the victim when she was 14 and he was 21. The Office of the Public Prosecutor had appealed the case seeking a five-year term in ordinary prison. The appellate panel instead selected the three-year suspended model, leaving it to the Penalty Execution Judge to define specific restrictive measures Franco must follow during the period.

In the same judgment, the court affirmed a ten-year prison sentence for the victim’s mother. She was convicted of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. The judges also ordered the permanent confiscation of 2.1 million Dominican pesos, roughly 34,000 U.S. dollars, which were seized during the initial investigation.

The case concludes the appellate review of the charges brought against the baseball player. The court’s order stands as the final legal determination on the criminal liability of both defendants in this matter.