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Wander Franco went on a trial Monday in the midst of accusations that he had been in a relationship with a minor and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent.
2023 MLB All-Star played last August. Since then, he has been indicted for the sexual abuse of a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.
Prosecutors say the minor mother went from being a bank employee to allegedly led a ostentatic life and acquisition of assets using the funds she received from Franco.
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Tampa Bay Rays Star Wander Franco went to trial Monday. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)
During attacks on the house to the minor mother, prosecutors say they found $ 68,500 and $ 35,000 as they claim were delivered by Franco.
Franco showed up in court Monday and gave an emphatic plea.
“Let justice be done,” he said via Espn.
According to ESPNDominican prosecutors say Franco called the minor “my girl” in a WhatsApp message and admits that the relationship was a “risk” but he “loved it.”
“My girl,” Franco allegedly wrote in Spanish. “If my team realizes this, it can cause trouble for me. It’s a rule for all teams that we can’t talk to minors, and yet I took the risk and I loved it.”
Prosecutors say Franco’s alleged relationship with the girl, who was 14 at the time, lasted four months, and he allegedly paid her not to mention it. The girl’s mother also faces charges of money laundering based on gifts that are allegedly sent to her by Franco.
Tampa Bay Ray’s Shortstop Wander Franco, Center, is escorted by police to the Puerto Plata Court, Dominican Republic, January 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernández)
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Shortstop allegedly gave the girl equivalent to $ 46,000 in July and August and allegedly paid the mother about $ 1,700 per day. Month with a new car, according to documents released last January, via ESPN.
Franco and the girl allegedly met on December 9, 2022, after “taking her from her home”, having sex twice in a two-day period and began their relationship.
Franco last played a major league match on August 12, 2023, and with the charges it is now increasingly likely that he will never play again.
Franco was an all-star for the first time that season when he cut .281/.344/.475 with 17 homers and 58 RBI over 112 games.
Tampa Bay Ray’s Shortstop Wander Franco throws to the first base against Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field in Skt. Petersburg, Florida, July 25, 2023. (Jonathan Dyer-usa Today Sports)
He signed an 11-year contract extension of $ 182 million in November 2021, but a team setting was able to make the deal worth $ 233 million. Franco no longer gets paid, but received payments while on administrative leave. The payments ended when he was then placed on the limited list.
