Wander Franco addressed the court for the first time Monday as the sexual abuse trial against him began in the Dominican Republic.
The former Tampa Bay Rays star is facing charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.
Now 24, he was having an All-Star season in 2023 before Dominican authorities began investigating allegations he had been in a relationship with a minor and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent.
The case went to trial Monday after prosecutors in the Dominican Republic reportedly claimed to have ‘conclusive evidence’ against the disgraced baseball star.
But addressing the judges for the first time in Puerto Plata, Franco appeared to maintain his innocence as he called for justice.
‘I have heard everything that they are saying [in the indictment], but the only thing that I am going to say is that I hope justice is done,’ the shortstop said, via ESPN’s Enrique Rojas.
The sexual abuse trial against former Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco began Monday
He faces charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking
During the opening part of the hearing, the Dominican authorities laid out their arguments against the former MLB player.
‘Franco Aybar abducted the victim for sexual purposes for several days in the municipality of Villa Montellano, in the province of Puerto Plata,’ prosecutors reiterated.
‘(He) then sent large sums of money to her mother (also under indictment) to prevent her from reporting him.’ They claimed that the money was used to buy property.
Prosecutors repeatedly alleged that Franco maintained a relationship of sexual exploitation and abuse for eight months with the minor. They argued that during that period, the minor’s mother benefited from payments of money in exchange for maintaining her silence.
When Franco’s defense team took the stand, his lawyers argued that the prosecution had no evidence to connect their client to the crimes he’s accused of. They further claimed that the accusation is flawed.
The alleged victim’s mother is also set to stand trial on charges of sexual exploitation and money laundering.
After an investigation that lasted over a year, judge Pascual Valenzuela ruled last September that the evidence was worthy of the case moving to trial.
‘It’s a solid accusation and the court understood it,’ prosecutor Claudio Cordero said at the time. ‘The evidence linked the defendants to what’s described in the accusation.’
If convicted, Franco could face up to 20 years in prison. He’s also facing separate gun-related charges in the Dominican Republic and could face up to five additional years behind bars if convicted.
If convicted, Dominican-born Franco – who is now 24 – could face up to 20 years in prison
The authorities allege that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos (or $17,000) to the mother of the minor on January 5, 2023, to consent to the abuse.
Prosecutors say that the minor’s mother went from being a bank employee to leading an ostentatious life and acquiring assets using the funds she received from Franco. During raids on the house of the minor’s mother, prosecutors say they found $68,500 and $35,000 that they allege was delivered by Franco.
After the hearing in September, Franco said ‘everything is in God’s hands.’ He has otherwise refused to speak to the media.
Franco, who signed a $182million, 11-year contract with the Rays in 2021, was also arrested in November for illegally carrying a gun in his vehicle. It followed an argument in an apartment complex parking lot.
The firearm was registered under the name of Franco’s uncle and one of the MLB star’s lawyers said because the gun has a license, ‘there’s nothing illegal about it.’
