SANTO DOMINGO — A judge in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, has ordered Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco to stand trial in his case of sexual abuse of a minor. Franco will now face a panel of judges, who will decide if he is guilty of the allegations. Additionally, the judge, Pascual Abreu Valenzuela, has issued a separate order so that the mother of the 16-year-old victim will also stand trial. Like Franco, the mother, whose name is being withheld for legal reasons, is accused of sexual abuse of a minor, as well as money laundering.
Valenzuela’s decision was rendered Thursday in what was the second and final preliminary hearing of the process. The court’s secretary was able to confirm the decision, along with the judge’s acceptance of the charges and the evidence submitted for trial, though, those aren’t ready for viewing. A trial date has not been set.
Puerto Plata’s chief prosecutor, Kelmi Duncan, said that the judge has fully accepted the charges submitted by the Prosecutor’s Office.
As alluded to at the previous hearing, the victim’s father, William Reyes González, has withdrawn the complaint he filed against Franco, according to his lawyer, Dignora Diloné.
“We filed the withdraw to the court earlier today at 9:40 a.m. in the morning and asked the court to withdraw it,” Diloné, who shared a copy of the document, told The Athletic.
Franco’s indictment states that his conduct violated provisions of Dominican law, and he has since been charged with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and has been on MLB’s restricted list since July. Franco has not played in a game since Aug. 12 of last season.
(Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)
