By Joiner Martínez
Sep 26, 2024, 8:33 PM EDT
The Major League player, the Dominican Wander Franco, was sent to trial this Thursday under accusations of sexual abuse of a teenager.
For her part, the mother of the minor will face the courts for alleged exploitation of her daughter and money laundering.
The Investigative Court of the Judicial District of Puerto Plata (northern Dominican Republic) made the decision after a request in that regard supported by the Public Ministry, this organization reported in a statement.
The mother of the supposedly abused young woman is Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte.
Prosecutors Claudio Cordero, from the Specialized Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Prosecutor’s Office, and José Martínez Montán, from the Puerto Plata Prosecutor’s Office, highlighted the solidity of the accusation, “which was presented by the Public Ministry and evaluated by the judge. Francisco Valenzuela” to send the accused to trial.
“We understand that it is a firm accusation and the court understood it that way. The evidence presented by the Public Ministry closely links the accused with the typology described in the indictment.”
Franco was unable to play the Major League season with his Tampa Bay Rays team, who placed him on administrative leave last June, which is why they have stopped paying him his two million dollar salary for this year.
According to preliminary investigations, the player supposedly had sexual relations with the minor since she was 14 years old and with the consent of the mother, to whom he would have given large sums of money and real estate to keep the case silent.
If found guilty, Franco could be sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison, like Chevalier Almonte.
The shortstop made his debut in the Major Leagues in the 2021 season. In 1,037 at-bats he has hit 292 hits, including 30 home runs, 61 doubles, 14 triples, driving in 130 runs and scoring 164. His average in three seasons is .282.
In November 2021, Franco and Tampa Bay announced an 11-year, $182 million pact that includes a team option for the 2033 season.
Continue reading:
A small detail postpones Wander Franco’s hearing in court until September
Prosecutor’s Office in the Dominican Republic presented formal charges against Wander Franco
MLB extends Wander Franco’s administrative leave