ESPN received a leak detailing the story of Wander Franco‘s alleged underage affair:

In a nearly 600-page document presented to the judge at a hearing this month and obtained by ESPN, prosecutors shared the evidence they have found in their investigation into Franco, underway since a formal complaint was first filed on July 10, 2023. The file includes transcripts of interviews with the girl and her relatives, messages between Franco and the girl, and more.

“There are serious questions regarding the authenticity of particular documents and references contained in the prosecutor’s confidential file, which was inappropriately disclosed to certain media outlets,” said Franco’s United States-based attorney, Jay Reisinger, in a statement to ESPN. “We are in consultation with Mr. Franco’s legal counsel in the Dominican Republic, and we intend to take the necessary legal measures in response.”

A spokesperson for the Puerto Plata Prosecutor’s Office said the office “declines to make any comment regarding an open investigation, as is the case with Wander Franco.”

For all of its salaciousness, Franco’s circumstances are rather straightforward: An All-Star with Hall of Fame aspirations and a nine-figure contract has allegedly committed a crime that could land him in prison for years. The story of the girl, unnamed by ESPN because these are sexual exploitation charges, includes alleged abuse not just from Franco but also her mother, who herself faces charges of money laundering based on gifts and payments from Franco.

ESPN.com

It’s not a pretty story.