PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — A Dominican judge on Friday ordered the conditional release of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco while he is investigated over allegations that he had a brief relationship with a 14-year-old girl and gave her mother a baby girl car and thousands of dollars in exchange for her consent, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
The judge said Wander would be allowed to leave the Dominican Republic but would have to return once a month to meet with authorities.
Wander, who was expected to be released early Saturday, did not speak to reporters after the hearing ended.
The 22-year-old all-star is accused of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. A judge scheduled to rule on the case on Friday has several options: release Franco on bail, temporarily detain him, prevent him from leaving the Dominican Republic or require him to appear occasionally pending an investigation or a trial Are completed.
The girl's 35-year-old mother faces the same charges as Franco. The AP is not identifying the woman by name to protect her daughter's privacy.
Franco, who was arrested Monday in the northern province of Puerto Plata, has not been charged with any crimes. The judge received a nearly 600-page document detailing evidence prosecutors collected during a months-long investigation.
The athlete's lawyers said nothing other than that Franco was “doing well.”
Prosecutors said the investigation began after they received an anonymous tip in July 2023 from someone who had seen a media post alluding to the relationship. The AP was unable to verify the reported post.
Authorities accuse Franco of kidnapping the minor from her home in Puerto Plata in December 2022 and having a four-month relationship with her with the consent of the girl's mother.
They accuse Franco of sending the mother $1,700 in monthly payments for seven months and buying her a car “to facilitate the relationship and let her go out with him wherever she wanted,” they say the document in which the girl was quoted.
The girl was also quoted as saying that she demanded that a local digital media site publish an article about her alleged relationship with the baseball player because she was “tired” of her mother, who accused her of taking Franco's money and not sharing any have some of it with her.
Days later, Franco posted a live video claiming it was a plot to extort money from him, the document said.
In September 2023, authorities searched the girl's mother's home and seized 800,000 Dominican pesos ($13,700) as well as $68,500 that were allegedly found hidden behind a frame. Another seizure at another house found a guarantee certificate from a local bank for 2.1 million Dominican pesos ($36,000), allegedly given by Franco for the girl's “commercial and sexual exploitation.”
Additionally, they seized a Suzuki Swift valued at $26,600, according to the document. Authorities discovered that the teen's mother had the equivalent of $821 in her bank account days before purchasing the car. The mother also purchased a property in Puerto Plata worth $36,000, they said.
Authorities also say Franco's mother sent money to the girl's mother, but she has not been charged in the case, although they said she intervened “to avoid leaving traces of her son on the defendant.”
Franco arrived at a court in Puerto Plata on Friday morning and remained silent as he was escorted by a group of journalists who peppered him with questions. The girl's mother, who works at a local bank and wore sunglasses, also declined comment as she was escorted into a courtroom.
Outside, a small group of young Dominican players dressed in baseball gear gathered to support Franco. They carried placards that read “Free Franco” and “We are all Franco.”
Franco was coming off an All-Star season before being sidelined in August as authorities in the Dominican Republic began investigating allegations that he had a relationship with a minor. Major League Baseball launched its own investigation and placed Franco on the restricted list on August 14 before placing him on administrative leave on August 22. Both investigations are ongoing.
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract in 2021. His salary last year and this year is $2 million per season.
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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico