Suspended Tampa Bay slugger Wander Franco faces serious charges including sexual abuse and human trafficking involving a 14-year-old girl during his trial underway in Puerto Plata, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The case came to the open when the child complained she was not getting her fair part of the deal that had the complicity of at least her mother. In addition to the baseball player, the victim’s mother, Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, is also charged with alleged sexual exploitation and money laundering.
The start of the actual trial was initially slated for December but was postponed for June 2025.
If convicted, Franco and the mother of the minor could face up to 30 years in prison.
24-year old Franco, who was an All-Star in 2023 before the allegations emerged, told judges he seeks “justice to be done.”
The US media continues to follow the sad case of the young Dominican baseball player who had made the tops of the baseball world only to relapse to his barrio culture where child sex is socially acceptable, creating a major obstacle to his baseball career. Just in July 2023, the young star shortstop had been elected to his first All-Star team. He was hitting .281 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs before the suspension.
Read more:
Diario Libre
ABC News
DR1 News
3 June 2025