(Santo Domingo) Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl Tuesday by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic.
Prosecutors decided to file charges four days after the original July 5 deadline, six months after a judge ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual and psychological abuse of a minor.
A spokeswoman for the Dominican Republic’s attorney general’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that prosecutors presented the final indictment to a judge, without providing further details.
The charges also include the victim’s mother. Prosecutors say Franco paid the mother thousands of dollars to get her to consent to the relationship, which lasted four months. The girl’s mother remains under house arrest. The Associated Press has decided not to identify the mother to protect the victim’s identity.
Franco, 23, is under administrative suspension from Major League Baseball and the Players Association until July 14.
Jay Reisinger, Franco’s U.S. attorney, said he could not comment because his client had not received formal notice of the charges.
The Rays star has not played since Aug. 12. MLB continues to investigate the alleged relationship with a minor.
An administrative suspension is not a disciplinary measure under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, and Franco continues to receive his salary, which is $2 million this season. Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021.
He remained in the Dominican Republic throughout the investigation.