Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor in his native Dominican Republic.
Puerto Plata District Office Prosecutor Kelmin Duncan and the spokesperson for the Attorney General\'s Office, Nairobi Viloria, told ESPN that they presented the formal accusation against Franco on Tuesday.
Franco has been under investigation since July 10, 2023, when a complaint was filed against him for allegedly having had sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl.
He was initially accused by Dominican prosecutors of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering on Jan. 3; the mother of the girl, who was 14 when the alleged relationship began in December 2022, faced the same charge.
Six days later, after further review of the evidence, a judge in the Dominican Republic instead accused Franco of a lesser charge of sexual and psychological abuse.
Via ESPN