Wander Franco now finds himself in even more legal trouble.
The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Franco was charged in his native Dominican Republic on Sunday with illegal possession of a handgun, according to a report by the Associated Press. The charge stems from an incident last November during which Franco was arrested after an altercation at an apartment parking complex in San Juan de la Managua, D.R.
Nobody was injured in the altercation. However, responding police officers found a semiautomatic Glock 19 in Franco’s vehicle, per a statement from local prosecutors.
Franco’s weapon was said to be registered under the name of his uncle. Prosecutors are requesting that Franco stand trial on the gun charge, but Franco’s legal team says no crime was committed since the gun was legally registered.
The 24-year-old Franco is already currently standing trial on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking against a minor. Those charges stem from Franco allegedly having entered into an inappropriate relationship with a girl who was 14 years old at the time. Franco has also been accused of paying hush money to the mother of the victim in exchange for her consent to the relationship (full details here).
Franco signed an enormous 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021 and went on to make an All-Star team in 2023. However, he has not played in a game since the allegations first broke in Aug. 2023. Franco was placed on paid administrative leave by Major League Baseball at the time but was eventually moved to the restricted list (meaning that he is no longer collecting money or service time).
The Associated Press report adds that Franco, who is currently on supervised release in the Dominican Republic, is facing up to 30 years in prison pursuant to his sexual abuse trial. It remains to be seen if Franco will be facing any further jail time as a result of this new weapons charge as well.
