PUERTO LA PLATA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The attorney for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco said Monday he will ask the court to exonerate his client of all charges in a sexual abuse case involving a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.

Franco, who was charged in July 2024 and is on supervised release, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.

“He didn’t commit the acts he’s accused of,” Teodosio Jáquez told The Associated Press at the end of the fourth hearing at the Collegiate Court of Puerto Plata, a tourist city in northern Dominican Republic where the girl is from.

“They’re playing their part, because their job is to accuse. However, what they have to do is prove it,” Jáquez said of the witnesses presented by prosecutors.

The prosecuto

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