The case of Wander Franco, 22, who caused a big controversy, is getting more and more frustrated. The mother of a girl who had an inappropriate relationship with Franco seems to be the key person in the case.
Mike Rodriguez of MLB Insider in the U.S. said on the 4th (Korean time) that Franco had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl for four months.
He also noted that the mother of a 14-year-old girl was found to have asked Franco for money during the process. Franco was also found to have been laundering money to raise the money.
The 14-year-old girl then reportedly stated that Franco was her boyfriend. Franco’s case is getting worse.
Franco is currently charged with child sexual exploitation and money laundering by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic. Franco handed over 100,000 pesos (about 2.36 million won) per month to the mother of a 14-year-old girl.
Franco and the mother of a 14-year-old girl who demanded money will not be able to avoid legal punishment due to the latest incident. Franco is effectively in retirement.
Franco is currently in custody after appearing before prosecutors in the Donimica Republic. He is believed to be behind bars for the time being.
Earlier, Franco was rumored to have had an inappropriate relationship with a minor during last season and has not played since August 13 against the Cleveland Guardians.
Since then, the Major League Baseball Secretariat has placed Franco on administrative leave, and the Tampa Bay club has been placed on the restricted list.
In addition to judicial action in the Dominican Republic, Franco is expected to face disciplinary action under the Major League Baseball’s agreement to prevent domestic violence, sexual violence and child abuse.
Franco, a former top-rated prospect, signed with Tampa Bay in 2017 and swept the top spots of various rating agencies in 2020 and 2021. He announced the birth of a top-rated shortstop.
Later, Franco made his major league debut in the 2021 season, and signed an 11-year-182 million-dollar contract with Tampa Bay that winter. He gave a big contract to a player who played only 70 games.
Tampa Bay was so confident about Franco’s talent. Franco was ranked third in voting for the Rookie of the Year award after playing just 70 games that year.
However, Franco will not be able to play in the Major League again due to the incident. Watchers say that his baseball career itself is over.
BY: 스포츠토토