On Thursday, former Rays all-star short stop Wander Franco had a judicial pardon of his conviction for sexual and psychological abuse of a minor revoked.
According to the Associated Press
, the appeals court ruled that Franco's case was not worthy of the "extraordinary" circumstances required for the judicial pardon. In doing so, the court affirmed his conviction from June 2025 and sentenced him to, "a suspended three-year prison sentence. Franco will not be required to serve time in custody provided he maintains a fixed residence and remains under judicial supervision."
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In terms of the US legal system, you can think of this as somewhere between probation and house arrest, but the results should nevertheless be prohibitive for Franco to ever receive a visa to work in the United States, thus ending his career as a Tampa Bay Rays player, although there is one final level of appeal available to him with the Dominican Republic's Supreme Court.
The court on Thursday imposed the conditional terms considering Franco's age and to support his eventual reintegration into society. If he fails to comply with any of the conditions, he will be required to serve the full three-year prison sentence.
Other relevant details from the Associated Press:
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The court on Thursday imposed the conditional terms considering Franco's age and to support his eventual reintegration into society. If he fails to comply with any of the conditions, he will be required to serve the full three-year prison sentence.
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The court upheld a 10-year prison sentence for the mother, who was found guilty of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering.
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Additionally, the court ordered the forfeiture of approximately $34,000 found in her possession — funds provided by Franco in exchange for her consent to his relationship with her daughter.
