Dominican prosecutors claimed this week that Wander Franco, the MLB star accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, paid tens of thousands in hush money and gifted a car to his alleged victim’s mother.
Franco, 22, made his first appearance before a judge in the Dominican Republic on Friday, facing accusations of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering.
Video from the Palace of Justice in Puerto Plata, recorded by an ESPN reporter, showed Franco ignoring questions as he was escorted into a courthouse in handcuffs.
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Dominican authorities say Franco engaged in the inappropriate relationship in 2022, when he was 21 and already in his second season playing in the big leagues.
Franco has denied each allegation brought against him, but his legal battle appears to be an uphill climb as more evidence surfaces. Namely, prosecutors revealed Wednesday in a 63-page request for coercive measures that Franco and his victim’s mother, Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, engaged in the exploitation and prostitution of a minor.
Specifically, the document accuses Franco of paying 100,000 pesos—approximately $1,500—a month in hush money to Almonte for seven months, the Dominican outlets Diario Libre and Noticias SIN reported. Citing an interview with the teenage victim, prosecutors said the MLB star also purchased her mother a new car in exchange for permission to have a relationship with her daughter and, later, her silence.
The document, which asked a judge to bar Franco from leaving the country until a trial can play out among other things, also included a partial transcript of the minor’s interview where she allegedly said she was exploited by her mother.
“Since I was little, my mother has seen me as a way for her to benefit from both the partners she has had and my partners and it is something that I really dislike,” the victim allegedly said, according to Noticias SIN.
Citing the document, Dominican reports added that Franco is accused of dating the teen for four months and having a sexual relationship with her for two days. Photos that appear to show Franco smiling with and kissing the teen’s cheek have emerged in recent months, but have not been confirmed to be genuine.
The alleged relationship became public in August, and Franco, who’d signed a massive $182 million deal with the Rays less than a year prior, was placed on administrative leave the same week. He hasn’t played a game since.
