A Dominican appeals court is now the next stop in the legal fight over Wander Franco, with judges in Puerto Plata saying Tuesday they will rule on Oct. 20 after hearing appeals from both the former Rays shortstop’s defense and the prosecution.
Franco’s case centers on allegations that he had a relationship with a girl who was 14 at the time, from December 2022 to February 2023. He was 21 then. His attorneys are arguing that the evidence introduced at trial was not enough to support a guilty verdict.
The prosecution, meanwhile, is pushing back on the court’s decision not to impose punishment. Prosecutors say Franco should not have been treated as “a material victim” in the case, and they contend he was extorted and blackmailed by the girl’s mother, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutor Claudio Alberto Cordero Jimenez said “enough credible evidence has been presented” and that Franco, now 25, should be punished.
“We are talking about a serious issue, which is sexual abuse of a minor,” Jimenez said in a video posted by Dominican journalist Franklyn Martinez Cabrera . “Giving a judicial pardon is not merited. This court is going to make a decision that is fair and just based on the law.”
The May ruling that sparked the appeals came in Franco’s second trial in the Dominican Republic. In the first trial, which ended in June 2025, he was found guilty of the same charge and handed a two-year suspended sentence, which is similar to probation.
Both sides appealed that outcome as well: Franco challenged the evidence, while prosecutors sought a harsher five-year prison sentence. The appeals court then ordered a new trial.
For Franco, getting that guilty verdict overturned is a key hurdle if he ever wants to play in the majors again. Because the conviction is considered a crime of moral turpitude, he would be unlikely to receive the visa needed to work in the United States.
He has not played for the Rays since August 2023, when the relationship became public, and he remains on Major League Baseball’s restricted list. The 2023 All-Star and former top prospect has not been paid since charges were filed in July 2024, though he is still owed about $150 million on the long-term contract he signed after his 2021 rookie season. That deal runs through 2032 and includes a 2033 option.
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