Suspended Tampa Bay Rays player Wander Franco was found guilty in sexual abuse case, officials announced Thursday afternoon.
Franco received a 2-year suspended sentence as part of the verdict.
On Monday, Dominican prosecutors requested that Franco be sentenced to five years in prison.
The prosecutors said in court that there is sufficient evidence to prove Franco had an inappropriate relationship with the minor for four months and that he transferred large sums of money to the minor's mother to consent to the illegal relationship.
The prosecutors also requested that the minor's mother be sentenced to 10 years in prison, arguing that she had sexually trafficked her daughter.
Documents that prosecutors presented to the judge last year alleged that Franco, through his mother Yudelka Aybar, transferred 1 million pesos ($17,000) to the mother of the minor on Jan. 5, 2023, to consent to purported abuse.
Franco is currently on Major League Baseball's restricted list after initially being placed on administrative leave.
The Tampa Bay Rays provided this statement to ABC Action News
We respect the legal process in the Dominican Republic and believe it is important to allow it to run its course. We will continue to fully cooperate with Major League Baseball as it monitors the situation.
Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time.
'Cruise lights' on Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office patrol cars raise questions, confusion among drivers
Every driver knows that when you see red and blue flashing lights on a patrol car, you slow down, pull over, or get out of the way.
But in Hillsborough County, drivers will also now see deputies with their lights on, but not flashing. They're called "cruise lights," and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) recently implemented their use on all patrol vehicles.
