Court exonerates Wander Franco with judicial pardon and sentences Vanessa Chevalier to 10 years in prison

Puerto Plata.- The judge of the Second Collegiate Tribunal of the Judicial District of Puerto Plata, José Antonio Núñez, granted judicial pardon this Monday to Major League baseball player Wander Franco, considering that he was also a victim within the process against him for alleged sexual abuse against a minor, while sentencing Marta Vanessa Almonte Chevalier to 10 years in prison for exploitation and other crimes linked to the case. During the summary reading of the sentence, the court declared Vanessa Chevalier criminally responsible for violating provisions of Law 136-03 on the protection of children, adolescents, and teenagers, as well as articles of the Dominican Penal Code related to threat, extortion, and obtaining illicit funds. The condemned woman must serve her sentence in the Women’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center, in addition to paying fines and the confiscation of various assets, including a 600-square-meter plot of land, a 2023 vehicle, cell phones, and millionaire financial certificates. Among the measures adopted by the judges, it was also ordered to transfer in favor of the minor a financial certificate of RD$2.1 million, issued by Banco Agrícola, funds that will remain protected until the victim reaches the age of majority, under the principle of the best interests of the child. Wander Franco’s defense explained that the court applied judicial pardon after establishing that the player was also affected within the circumstances of the process, clarifying that the decision does not represent a criminal conviction against him. “He was exempted from punishment because the court established that he was also a victim and therefore exempts him from punishment with judicial pardon,” said one of the baseball player’s lawyers as he left the hearing. The legal representatives also indicated that they will wait to receive the full sentence to analyze whether they will appeal the decision to higher authorities. The ruling ends one of the most media-covered judicial processes in the Dominican Republic, due to the international impact of the case and the public figure of the Major League player.