SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Dominican Republic authorities are opening an investigation into allegations that Minnesota Twins slugger Miguel Sano was involved in the kidnapping and assault of a man, prosecutors said Thursday. The Twins, however, said they were told that Sano was acquitted of the charges.
Sano, who signed a three-year, $ 30 million contract with Minnesota in January, denies the allegations and has said he is being blackmailed.
The player appeared Thursday in a hearing at the prosecutor’s office in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris. The hearing was called so that the parties could present their versions of the events and seek conciliation, but none was reached.
Given the impossibility of reconciling, the Dominican justice system will open an investigation into the case, according to the prosecution. No charges have been filed against Sano.
“My lawyers take care of that. I don’t know. They are what they know, I don’t know about this,” Sano told The Associated Press when asked what to expect in the case.
The Twins’ executive vice president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said the organization was informed Thursday morning that Sano was acquitted of the allegations by Dominican authorities and that he would not face criminal charges.
Fred Guerrero, the team’s director of international exploration, who has known Sano since he was young, was the organization’s primary point of contact for the Twins with Sano. The 27-year-old first baseman, an All-Star in 2017, insisted he had done nothing wrong.
“We took what Miguel said with his word and then we wanted to wait and see what else happened, and it finally coincided with what he had been telling us, what we expected to happen here,” Falvey said.
It was not immediately possible to explain the apparent discrepancy.
Raudy Omar Sánchez de la Cruz’s lawyers say they have evidence and testimony that Sano and three of his friends kidnapped, beat, and threatened to hang Sánchez de la Cruz. They say the man suffered mental and physical damage in the amount of $ 170,000.
Sano has alleged that Sánchez de la Cruz is involved in a sexual abuse case of a young relative of his. No charges have been filed in relation to this accusation.
The Twins expect Sano to travel to Minnesota at the end of the week to join the team to train before the season, which is expected to start in late July amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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