MLB star Wander Franco 'is CHARGED with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor'

Tampa Bay Rays superstar Wander Franco has been formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, according to ESPN.

Franco is still being paid his $2million salary, despite not appearing in an MLB game since allegations first surfaced last summer. He remains under contract through 2032 and is reportedly owed $174m.

He is alleged to have had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl and paid her mother thousands of dollars for her consent. 

The Prosecutor's Office in the Dominican Republic had 15 days to file formal charges against Franco, and that process has now been completed, paving the way for the MLB star to face trial in his native country. 

Franco was initially suspended by the Rays before being placed on administrative leave through June 1 - per an agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, according to ESPN. 

Allegations of money laundering and sexual exploitation, meanwhile, were dismissed earlier this year, after Franco was released from jail. He was detained for a week after failing to respond to a summons by prosecutors. 

In April, a judge in the Dominican Republic denied a request by Franco to end his monthly check-ins with the authorities - and to return his bail of around $35,000.

According to prosecutors, and testimonies from the girl and other members of her family, Franco paid the 14-year-old girl's mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts, in exchange for the mother's consent to engage in a sexual relationship with her daughter. 

The Code for the Protection of the Right of Children and Adolescents, Law 136-03 in the Dominican Republic, considers sexual abuse as any relationship between a minor and a person five years older. Franco started engaging in a relationship with the girl when she was 14 and he was 21.