The court case of Wander Franco, former shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, took a decisive turn after an appeals court in the Dominican Republic overturned his conviction for child abuse and ordered a retrial. Franco, 24, had initially received a suspended two-year sentence – equivalent in practice to probation – but will now face a completely restarted process, where he could be found innocent or receive a different sanction.
The court determined that there were substantial irregularities in the original trial. According to his defense, the initial ruling contains errors that warrant a complete reassessment of the process. “The court understood that there were many failures, many omissions… many problems,” Teodosio Jaquez Encarnacion, Franco’s lawyer, told Associated Press. Franco’s representatives are seeking to have the previous conviction overturned and the sentence definitively annulled.
Wander Franco’s defense claims lack of direct evidence against him
The prosecution had requested a five-year prison sentence for Franco, who was accused of having a four-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl when he was 21. Despite the seriousness of the case, the defense insists that there is no direct evidence linking the baseball player to the crimes for which he was convicted. “We are winning, because we have argued, and we continue to reaffirm, that there is no direct evidence against Wander Franco,” Jaquez Encarnacion told the Tampa Bay Times.
However, prosecutor Jose Martinez Montan said he is confident that a new trial will uphold the previously issued guilty verdict. For the prosecution, the annulment does not imply a change in the strength of the case, but only a mandatory review of the procedures.
In this new process, a different panel of judges will reevaluate the evidence and testimony presented. “We won the case in the first trial and expect the same in the new trial,” the prosecution said, reaffirming its intention to uphold the indictment.
Court also grants new trial to the mother of the minor involved
The appeals court also ordered the retrial of the girl’s mother, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. According to the indictment, the woman allegedly received thousands of dollars and a vehicle from Franco in exchange for consenting to the relationship. Her defense also argues procedural flaws in the previous sentence.
Wander Franco, considered one of the most promising talents of his generation, signed a $3.8 million contract with Tampa Bay at the age of 16 and was an All-Star at 22. In 2021 he signed a 11-year, $182 million contract, but was placed on administrative leave in August 2023, since when he has not played again.
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