Wander Franco, the suspended Tampa Bay Rays shortstop charged in a sexual abuse case, was found guilty on Thursday but received a two-year suspended sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franco was arrested last year after being accused of having a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time, and of transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franco, now 24, also faced charges of sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking, but was found not guilty of those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judge Jakayra Veras Garc\u00eda said Franco made a bad decision as she addressed him during the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook at us, Wander,\u201d she said. \u201cDo not approach minors for sexual purposes. If you don\u2019t like people very close to your age, you have to wait your time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors had requested a five-year prison sentence against Franco and a 10-year sentence against the girl\u2019s mother, who was found guilty and will serve the full term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cApparently she was the one who thought she was handling the bat in the big leagues,\u201d Veras said of the mother and her request that Franco pay for her daughter\u2019s schooling and other expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franco\u2019s attorney, Irina Ventura, said she would appeal the judge\u2019s ruling: \u201cEvidently, justice was not done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, prosecutor Luis Mart\u00ednez said he was pleased with the rulings but did not say whether the government would appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the three judges issued their unanimous ruling, Veras orally reviewed the copious amount of evidence that prosecutors presented during trial, including certain testimony from 31 witnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a somewhat complex process,\u201d Veras said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than an hour into her presentation, Veras said: \u201cThe court has understood that this minor was manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the judge continued her review, Franco looked ahead expressionless, leaning forward at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franco, who was once the team\u2019s star shortstop, had signed a $182 million, 11-year contract through 2032 in November 2021 but saw his career abruptly halted in August 2023 after authorities in the Dominican Republic announced they were investigating him for an alleged relationship with a minor. Franco was 22 at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January 2024, authorities arrested Franco in the Dominican Republic. Six months later, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which cut off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was placed on that list because he has not been able to report to the team and would need a new U.S. visa to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Franco awaited trial on conditional release, he was arrested again in November last year following what Dominican authorities called an altercation over a woman\u2019s attention. He was charged with illegally carrying a semiautomatic Glock 19<\/a> that police said was registered to his uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That case is still pending in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the ruling, Major League Baseball issued a brief statement noting it had collectively bargained a joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy \u201cthat reflects our commitment to these issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are aware of today\u2019s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time,\u201d MLB said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n