WILLEMSTAD (DA) — A Curaçao prosecutor has requested a 48-month prison sentence for former MLB All-Star Jonathan Schoop in an illegal firearm possession case, with eight months conditional and a three-year probationary period.
Prosecutor Willem Jan de Graaf argued before the Court of First Instance that Schoop owned the firearm found on the driver’s seat of his vehicle. The prosecution also cited items recovered from Schoop’s home that it said were compatible with the weapon.
A friend of Schoop who was also identified as a suspect has said the gun belonged to him. He also said he placed it on the driver’s seat of Schoop’s vehicle.
Schoop’s attorney, Athena Sulvaran, argued that prosecutors had not presented concrete evidence establishing that he possessed the firearm. Sulvaran emphasized that police did not find the weapon in Schoop’s home or on his person, but inside his vehicle.
A judge from Aruba presided over the case. The court is scheduled to deliver its ruling Sept. 11.
Schoop was detained Jan. 29 after Curaçao police searched his home during a broader operation. Nine people were detained, and authorities seized multiple firearms, ammunition and related items.
The Court of Appeal later suspended Schoop’s pretrial detention while he remained a suspect in the investigation.
The Curaçao-born infielder joined Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League this season. Schoop played 11 major league seasons and was selected to the American League All-Star team with the Baltimore Orioles in 2017.