Prosecutors say Rays star Wander Franco referred to minor as 'my girl,' 'loved' their relationship: report
Franco has been on administrative leave since August
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New reported details have emerged in the case of MLB All-Star Wander Franco and his alleged relationship with a then-14-year-old.
The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop, who has been on administrative leave since August, is facing two decades in jail.
According to ESPN, Dominican prosecutors say that Franco called the minor "my girl" in a WhatsApp message, admitting that the relationship was a "risk," but he "loved it."
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Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco is facing an investigation into alleged inappropriate relationships with minors. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
"My girl," Franco allegedly wrote in Spanish. "If my team realizes this, it could cause problems for me. It is a rule for all teams that we cannot talk to minors, and yet I took the risk and I loved it."
Franco was arrested earlier this month after he failed to appear for a meeting with a prosecutor in late December, and then being interviewed by an official on New Year's Day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prosecutors say Franco's relationship with the girl, now 15, lasted four months, and he paid her to not speak about it. The girl's mother also faces charges for money laundering based on gifts sent to her by Franco. Franco and the girl met on December 9, 2022, after he "took her from her home," had sex twice in a two-day span, and began their relationship.
When it was allegedly revealed that the girl had begun seeing someone else around spring training of last year, Franco ordered her not to.
"You're just a girl and you don't know how to get along with me, that's why you failed, but I'll give you only one chance, you must be only for me," Franco allegedly wrote to the girl. "Don't look at anyone. I know you've been with someone else, but no one will know how to use you the way I want."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement to Fox News, Franco's attorney in the U.S., Jay Reisinger, said, "There are "serious questions regarding the authenticity of particular documents and references contained in the prosecutor's confidential file, which was inappropriately disclosed to certain media outlets.
Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, swings at a pitch during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on August 12, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
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"We are in consultation with Mr. Franco's legal counsel in the Dominican Republic, and we intend to take the necessary legal measures in response."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two homes associated with Franco were raided in December, but he was not at either one.
A subsequent raid of the girl’s home uncovered $13,700 in cash as well as $68,500 they said was found hidden behind a frame, according to the AP.
At a second raid at a different home, police found a guarantee certificate from a local bank for $36,000 they said had been delivered by Franco for the "commercial and sexual exploitation" of the girl.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Franco gave the girl the equivalent of $46,000 in July and August, the documents say, and paid the mother about $1,700 per month, along with a new car.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, is escorted by police to court in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Friday, January 5, 2024. Dominican prosecutors on Wednesday accused Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that he had a relationship with a minor, whose mother also faces the same charges. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernández.)
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Franco was an All-Star for the first time this season. He signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension in November 2021, but a team option in 2033 could make the deal worth $233 million when it is over.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Of course, the Rays could get out of it if Franco goes to jail, citing a "good citizenship" clause in the uniform player contract.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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