Wander Franco was once the kind of player you build a franchise around. A 20-year-old kid with electric talent, a massive contract, and a future that seemed limitless. That was 2021. In 2026, he’s a convicted criminal who just walked out of a Dominican Republic courtroom without spending a single day in prison, and a lot of people are furious about it.
On Monday, May 25, 2026, a judge in Puerto Plata declared the former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor. Then, in a twist that has drawn outrage both in the Dominican Republic and in the United States, the judge granted Franco a judicial pardon. He won’t serve time. The conviction stays on his record, but the 25-year-old is a free man.
Let’s get into how we got here, what the ruling actually means, and what’s next for a player whose career is almost certainly finished.
The Case Against Franco
The allegations against Franco first surfaced in August 2023, when reports and social media posts linked him to a relationship with a 14-year-old girl in the Dominican Republic. The relationship reportedly began in December 2022, when Franco was 21. He was arrested in January 2024 after Dominican authorities charged him with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking.
Prosecutors alleged that Franco transferred thousands of dollars to the girl’s mother, Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, in exchange for her consent to continue the illegal relationship. The mother, according to court proceedings, essentially used her own daughter as a financial commodity, extracting money from the wealthy baseball player.
Franco’s first trial took place in June 2025. He was found guilty of sexual abuse and given a two-year suspended sentence. Prosecutors had pushed for five years. Both Franco’s legal team and the prosecution appealed, and an appeals court threw out the ruling entirely, ordering a retrial in front of a new panel of judges.
The Retrial and the Pardon
The new trial kicked off during the week of May 19, 2026, and it moved fast. By May 25, Judge José Antonio Núñez had reached his decision. He found Franco criminally responsible for the abuse. That part was clear cut. But Núñez also ruled that Franco had been a “material victim” of extortion, coercion, and financial exploitation orchestrated by the minor’s mother.
Based on that finding, the judge issued a judicial pardon, completely relieving Franco from serving any prison sentence. The mother did not receive such leniency. Chevalier Almonte was sentenced to 10 years in prison for commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. The court also ordered the seizure of her financial assets, properties (including a 600-square-meter lot), and a 2023 vehicle that was purchased with Franco’s money. A bank certificate of deposit containing roughly RD$2,100,000 in Dominican pesos was also forfeited.
Franco’s attorney, Teodosio Jáquez, said the defense was mostly satisfied. “He was considered a victim,” Jáquez told reporters. “For now, we are satisfied with the decision.” But he also noted that the legal team hadn’t yet received the full written ruling and was waiting before commenting in greater detail. Full sentencing is scheduled for June 16, 2026.
Why People Are Angry
You don’t have to be a legal scholar to see why this outcome is sitting badly with a lot of people. A court found that Franco, a 21-year-old millionaire, engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. He paid her mother to keep the arrangement going. And after all of that, he walks free.
Yes, the mother’s conduct was reprehensible. She was convicted of sexually trafficking her own daughter, and 10 years in prison reflects that. But many observers have pointed out that framing Franco as a “victim” in this situation, when the actual victim was a child, sends a deeply troubling message. The backlash has been swift, both from the general public and from advocacy groups watching the case closely.
The ruling can still be appealed. Reuters reported that the court’s full reasoning has not yet been released, and Franco’s own legal team said they would wait for the detailed written decision before deciding on next steps. So this story may not be over from a legal standpoint.
The $182 Million Contract Hanging in Limbo
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2021. It was the kind of deal that made headlines. A franchise committing that kind of money to a player still in his early twenties was a massive bet on the future. That future is now gone.
Franco last played an MLB game on August 12, 2023. He was placed on administrative leave that same day and stayed there until July 10, 2024, when formal charges were filed. At that point, the Rays moved him to MLB’s restricted list. Since mid-2024, he has not been paid and has not accrued service time. This is Year 5 of an 11-year deal, and roughly $160 million remains on the contract.
The Rays have significant financial leverage here. With a criminal conviction on his record, Franco faces enormous obstacles in obtaining a U.S. work visa. Immigration experts have said he would likely need to be fully exonerated to have any realistic shot at getting one. A judicial pardon in the Dominican Republic is not the same thing as exoneration. The conviction stays on his record.
On top of that, the Rays could attempt to void the remainder of the deal using morality clauses that are standard in professional sports contracts. The team released a carefully worded statement acknowledging the ruling and promising to cooperate with MLB’s ongoing review.
MLB’s Investigation Is Just Getting Started
The criminal case in the Dominican Republic may be winding down, but Franco’s problems with Major League Baseball are just beginning. MLB has its own Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, and under that policy, a criminal conviction is not required for discipline. The league can, and does, issue suspensions based on its own independent investigation.
MLB released a statement Monday: “We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.” Translation: now that the Dominican courts are done, the league is ready to move forward with its own process.
The longest suspension ever handed down under the domestic violence policy was the 324-game ban given to pitcher Trevor Bauer in April 2022, after multiple women accused him of sexual abuse. That suspension was later reduced to 194 games on appeal. Given the nature of the allegations against Franco and the fact that he has now been convicted twice (the first conviction was overturned on procedural grounds, not on the merits), it’s hard to imagine the league going easy on him.
A Career That Went from Generational to Gone
It’s worth remembering just how good Wander Franco was supposed to be. He made his MLB debut at 20 years old and immediately looked like a star. In 2021, he finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting despite playing only 70 games. He was named an All-Star in 2022 at just 21. His career stats through 265 games included a .282 batting average, 30 home runs, and 130 RBIs.
The Rays had built their long-term plans around him. He was the cornerstone. And then everything fell apart in August 2023, seemingly overnight.
Franco, now 25, was reportedly admitted to a mental health facility last September at the request of his family. He is said to remain hopeful about returning to baseball in the United States, but the obstacles in his way are enormous. A criminal record, a potential MLB suspension that could dwarf anything we’ve seen before, visa problems, and a team that has every reason to walk away from his contract.
What Happens on June 16
The full sentencing is set for June 16, 2026. That’s when we should get the complete written ruling, including the judge’s full legal reasoning for granting the pardon. Franco’s lawyers have said they’ll provide more details once they have that document in hand. The ruling can still be appealed, so there’s a chance prosecutors push back on the pardon and this thing heads back to court yet again.
For now, though, the picture is this: a Dominican court found Wander Franco guilty of sexually and psychologically abusing a child, then decided he didn’t need to face any punishment for it. The mother who facilitated the abuse is going to prison for a decade. MLB is gearing up to hand down its own punishment. And a $182 million contract that once symbolized hope for a young franchise player now sits as one of the most regrettable deals in baseball history.
However you look at it, there are no winners here. Just a 14-year-old girl who was failed by every adult in her life, and a system that a lot of people feel failed her one more time on Monday.