Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexually Abusing A Minor, Avoids Jail

Wander Franco was one of the most promising young stars in baseball, nicknamed ‘El Patron,’ but his career was halted after he got into trouble in his native Dominican Republic.

In 2023, he was placed on leave after allegations began to swirl that he was in a four-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl from the island and had paid her mother $17,000 for consent.

What followed was an investigation and a guilty verdict of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation in 2025, for which he received a suspended sentence of two years in prison.

But it was overturned in the appeals court, then, earlier this month, the trial was conducted again, and Franco was again found criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor.

However, he avoided jail time due to a judicial pardon because he was extorted by the teen’s mother. The mother was found guilty of sex trafficking her daughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. So Judge José Antonio Núñez found the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop’s pardon had “logical and legal reasoning.”

“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and at the same time exempt him from punishment. The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one,” explained Núñez, according to the Associated Press.

Once the verdict was announced, Franco hugged his mother and other family members supporting him, saying, “Thank God for everything.” 

“I feel calm,” he said, and asked his fans to “continue supporting me and trusting in me,” he told reporters while leaving the courthouse.

The MLB released a statement reading, “We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.”

While the ruling is good news for Franco, the full sentencing is scheduled for June 16, which his lawyer Teodosio Jáquez says will truly close this chapter.

“We don’t have the physical sentence in our hands, but he was exempted from punishment because the president of the court established that he was also a victim and because he is exempted from punishment through judicial pardon,” Jáquez said.“When we have the full sentence in hand, we will give you more details. He was exempted from punishment and we think that’s fine, but we need to have the sentence in hand.”

See social media’s reaction to the verdict below.