Wander Franco verdict made official, decision on appeal now pending

Rays shortstop Wander Franco’s conviction of sexual abuse of a minor was formalized Thursday in the Dominican Republic, per several published reports.

Franco, 24, was found guilty on June 26 and sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence in which he won’t serve any time in jail as long as he meets certain conditions. One is that he must not approach any minors with sexual intentions. If he violates any of the terms, he could have to serve the two full years.

The charges stemmed from a relationship Franco had with a minor girl that started in December 2022, when he was 21 and she was 14. Franco has not played for the Rays since word of the relationship surfaced on social media in August 2023. He has not been paid since charges were filed in July 2024, but is still owed $164 million after this season.

The formalization of the verdict is part of the Dominican legal process. Neither Franco nor the girl’s mother, who was convicted on several charges, was in court. Per Diario Libre, prosecutor José Martínez Montán, asked the court to skip reading the full ruling but to deliver the written version through the proper administrative process.

The release of the ruling opens a five-day window for Franco’s lawyers to appeal the ruling to the first of two courts, a process that can take more than a year.

One lawyer said at the time of verdict that they would wait for the written version to decide whether to appeal.

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