Wander Franco Due Back In Court Next Week
11 months agoTampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will be back in a courtroom on Feb. 8, according to court officials in the Dominican Republic, this time to be present as a judge interviews the teenage girl at the center of the sexual-abuse probe that has indefinitely put Franco's baseball career on hold. Franco is accused of physical and sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of a minor. According to prosecutors, Franco paid the girl's mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts in exchange for the mother's consent to engage in a sexual relationship with her daughter. At the time of the alleged relationship, Franco was 21 and the girl was 14. Another judge will decide whether Franco will face a trial, a process that could stretch into the summer. It's looking increasingly likely that Franco won't play at all in 2024, and his MLB career could be done entirely.
Source: The Athletic - Hogla Enecia Perez
Source: The Athletic - Hogla Enecia Perez