“Wander Franco was a victim of the system”: citizens value non-custodial sentence for the baseball player

Santo Domingo.– Citizens consulted on Monday valued the decision of the Court of Appeals of Puerto Plata to impose a non-custodial sentence on Major League Baseball player Wander Franco, after being found guilty of sexual and psychological abuse against a minor.

The court considered that Franco was charged and, at the same time, a collateral victim within the process, due to the alleged economic extortions carried out by the minor’s mother.

“They have granted freedom to criminals and people who pose a high danger to society. Wander Franco was a victim of the system. He was a poor boy with money, surrounded by people who led him to make that mistake,” expressed Rafael Mueses.

Likewise, he maintained that it is regrettable that a talented young person, without the proper preparation or guidance, has seen their sporting career affected.

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In that same order, **the Court of Appeals of Puerto Plata sentenced Martha Vanessa Chevalier Almonte, the minor’s mother, to 10 years in prison.** Citizens emphasized what they called “ambition”.

“She earned that for being ambitious, for wanting to seek more than her daughter brought her. Ambition got the better of her,” indicated Félix Frías

In the same way, Fausto Frías stated that he agreed that the greatest condemnation should fall on the teenager’s mother. “She was blinded by the love of money. She knew what was happening. Money won”, he expressed.

Chevalier Almonte was found guilty of committing psychological abuse against her daughter, in addition to violating article 400 of the Dominican Penal Code, which punishes the obtaining of funds through threats of disclosure. She was also found guilty of infringing several articles of the Law on Money Laundering. The sentence was handed down by judges José Ramón Núñez, president of the court, along with Jenny Amarilis Martínez and Praire Ruiz, who made up the ad hoc collegiate court of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of First Instance of the judicial district of Puerto Plata.