A Dominican Republic appeals court ordered a new trial for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who has already been convicted of sexually abusing a minor.
In June, Franco received a two-year suspended sentence after his attorneys sought to have the conviction overturned. Authorities wanted a five-year jail term for the 24-year-old Franco.
Franco was arrested last year and accused of having a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and of having money sent to the girl’s mother for consent to the relationship.
‘The court understood that there were many flaws, many omissions…many issues, and decided to send the case to a new trial,’ said Teodosio Jáquez, Franco’s attorney.
Franco has not played for the Rays since Aug. 12, 2023. He was formally charged in the Dominican Republic with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking in July 2024 and placed on Major League Baseball’s restricted list, where he still remains.
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million guaranteed contract with the Rays in 2021 and has not been paid since he was charged.