Wander Franco was once hailed as one of baseball’s brightest young stars, a rising face of the Tampa Bay Rays with a $182 million contract and an unstoppable future. But all of that came crashing down when allegations involving a minor surfaced in 2023. With a court ruling finally in, fans aren’t just disappointed; they are furious.
On Thursday, Franco was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence in the Dominican Republic after admitting to having a relationship with a minor. Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, who has been accused of enabling the relationship, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. And many fans believe justice wasn’t served at all.
The mother of the victim in the Wander Franco case, Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, was found guilty of sexually trafficking her daughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to @JuanRecioM.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 26, 2025
Fans Call Out “Unfair” Justice For Wander Franco After Court Ruling
As part of his deal, Franco won’t serve any jail time. Instead, he has to stay away from the victim and her family, take part in rehabilitation programs, and pay a financial settlement. The original charges – aggravated sexual and psychological abuse – were reduced after Wander Franco agreed to cooperate.
But many feel the punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
“Crazy how she gets 10 years and he gets probation,” one fan wrote.
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Crazy how she gets 10 years and he gets probation.
— Jon from Maspeth (@JonFromMaspeth) June 26, 2025
“Why didn’t he get that,” one fan commented.
Why didn’t he get that
— Patches O’Houlihan (@sondraa) June 26, 2025
“So she got a longer sentence than him … how?” another fan replied.
So she got a longer sentence than him … how?
— proud ranger fan (@RangerApologist) June 26, 2025
“SHE GOT 5x MORE JAIL TIME THAN WANDER FRANCO???” another fan wrote.
SHE GOT 5x MORE JAIL TIME THAN HIM???
— 🦉 (@kat_wrld) June 26, 2025
“Insane that she got more than he did,” one fan commented.
Insane that she got more than he did
— Rambo 🏹 (@chesportsguy) June 26, 2025
“The one who touched the kid got 8 years less. pathetic,” another fan replied.
the one who touched the kid got 8 years less. pathetic
— AJ (@adamwalkerwwe) June 26, 2025
“So she’s going to be in prison, but he gets his sentence released? What a joke. They should both be in there,” one angry X user wrote.
So she’s going to be in prison, but he gets his sentence released? What a joke. They should both be in there.
— K8 (Kait) aka KT (@k8bravesfn) June 26, 2025
“This might be more insane then the 2 year suspension idk holy sick,” another X user commented.
This might be more insane then the 2 year suspension idk holy sick
— SmurfsUp (@carsonslambo) June 26, 2025
Wander Franco signed a massive $182 million deal with the Rays in 2021, and he was expected to lead the team for years to come. But once the accusations came to light in 2023, he was pulled from team activities. MLB placed him on leave, and his future in the league is now unclear. But fans are certainly unhappy with his suspended prison sentence.
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