Wander Franco escapes jail time as a Dominican court grants him a judicial pardon
Franco was granted a judicial pardon after a court found he had been blackmailed and extorted
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been declared criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, yet will serve no custodial sentence, following a ruling handed down by a Dominican judge on Monday.
The judge's decision
Judge José Antonio Núñez determined that Franco had himself been a victim of extortion and blackmail carried out by the girl's mother, who was sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually trafficking her own daughter. In explaining the apparent contradiction at the heart of the verdict, the judge said:
"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."
Judge Núñez described the judicial pardon as a product of "logical and legal reasoning."
Franco reacts outside court
An emotional Franco responded to the ruling by embracing his mother, Nancy Aybar, and other family members who had accompanied him to court. "Thank God for everything," he said.
After leaving the courthouse alongside his lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez, Franco briefly addressed reporters, telling them, "I feel calm," and appealing to his supporters to "continue supporting me and trusting in me."
He also confirmed he had not personally been in contact with the Rays, though he expected his legal team had been.
The background to the case
Franco was arrested in January 2024, accused of engaging in a four-month relationship with a girl who was 14 years old at the time, and of transferring thousands of dollars to her mother in exchange for her consent to the illegal arrangement.
He had also faced charges of sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor, as well as human trafficking, but was previously acquitted of both.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic had first announced an investigation into Franco in August 2023. He was 22 years old at the time.
In November 2021, he had signed an eleven-year, $182 million contract with the Rays — a deal whose future now remains deeply uncertain.
Six months after his arrest, Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list, which halted the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.
MLB and legal next steps
Major League Baseball stated the verdict, saying: "We are aware of today's verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time."
Franco's attorney Jáquez offered further clarification on the pardon: "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."
The full written sentencing is scheduled to be issued on 16 June. Jáquez added: "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."
