PUERTO PLATA — A Dominican judge ruled that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was criminally responsible for the sexual and psychological abuse of a minor but granted him a judicial pardon, exempting him from punishment.

Judge José Antonio Núñez issued the ruling after determining that Franco was a “material victim, but not a legal one,” citing particular circumstances that justified the pardon. “It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and at the same time exempt him from punishment. The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one,” Núñez said. He described the decision as a matter of “logical and legal reasoning.”

The case stems from a four-month relationship between Franco and a girl who was 14 years old at the time, which began in December 2022 when Franco was 21. Authorities in the Dominican Republic announced an investigation into the alleged relationship in August 2023. Franco was arrested in January 2024. During the relationship, Franco transferred thousands of dollars to the minor’s mother to gain her consent, and investigators later uncovered more than $100,000 in cash during raids on the mother’s home.

The minor’s mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison for commercial sexual exploitation, money laundering, and sexually trafficking her daughter. The full sentencing document in Franco’s case is scheduled to be issued on June 16.

Franco’s attorney, Teodosio Jáquez, said, “We don’t have the physical sentence in our hands, but he was exempted from punishment because the president of the court established that he was also a victim and because he is exempted from punishment through judicial pardon.” Jáquez added, “When we have the full sentence in hand, we will give you more details. He was exempted from punishment and we think that’s fine, but we need to have the sentence in hand.”

After the ruling, Franco said, “I feel calm,” and asked his fans to “continue supporting me and trusting in me.” He also stated that he personally had not contacted the Rays but that his lawyers surely had. Franco has not appeared in an MLB game since August 2023, when he was placed on administrative leave. Six months after his January 2024 arrest, Tampa Bay moved him to the restricted list, cutting off his salary.