Wander Franco has been formally indicted on charges of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor in connection with his relationship with a 14-year-old girl in the Dominican Republic. ESPN reported the news on Tuesday night..
Franco, 23, has been on administrative leave since the allegations came to light last August when photos of the Rays infielder and the girl were published on social media.
Tuesday’s indictment also included the girl’s mother, according to the Associated Press.
According to the Associated Press, Franco allegedly paid the woman thousands of dollars in return for agreeing to a four-month relationship.
He last played for the Rays on Aug. 12 and was placed on administrative leave shortly after the disturbing allegations surfaced.
Franco was placed on leave again at the start of the MLB season.
Formal charges were originally scheduled to be filed on July 10, 2023, and prosecutors had until last Friday to file charges against Franco, but Dominican Republic law allows a judge to give the prosecution an additional 10 days to present their “conclusions,” according to the Associated Press.
Franco had been summoned to speak to Dominican authorities in December but did not attend a meeting with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Children and Adolescents.
As a result, he was arrested on January 1 for failing to appear in court, but was released a week later.
As a condition of his release, he was required to undergo mandatory exit procedures in the Dominican Republic on the 30th of each month.
The money laundering and commercial sexual exploitation charges were dismissed in January when Franco was released, and charges of sexual and emotional abuse were filed instead. ESPN reported..
Authorities accuse Franco of “taking the minor from his home in Puerto Plata in December 2022 and engaging in a four-month relationship with her, with the consent of the girl’s mother,” The Associated Press reported in January.
Franco, last year’s American League All-Star, signed a franchise-record 11-year, $182 million contract for 2021.
MLB continues its own investigation into Franco’s alleged ties, but that investigation likely won’t be concluded until the criminal case is over, ESPN reported.
