WILLEMSTAD – Former Major League Baseball player Jonathan Schoop is appealing his conviction for illegal firearm possession after the court sentenced him Friday to 30 months in prison, six months of which were suspended.
The 34-year-old Curaçao baseball player will remain free while the appeal proceedings are pending. His pretrial detention had already been suspended at the end of February after he spent nearly four weeks in custody following his arrest.
Schoop was arrested on January 29 as part of an investigation into illegal firearms. During an operation at a truck di pan on Rooseveltweg, an arrest team found a Glock pistol and ammunition inside Schoop's vehicle. The firearm was located on the driver's side.
A co-defendant, Givaine Basilia, told authorities that the pistol belonged to him and that he had placed it inside the vehicle. Schoop denied that the weapon was his.
The court nevertheless concluded that Schoop legally had the firearm in his possession. In reaching its decision, the judge considered, among other evidence, observations made by a police team during the night of the arrest. The court noted that a firearm does not have to be physically carried on a person's body for that person to be found to have it in his possession under the law.
Schoop was acquitted of several other parts of the prosecution's case. The court found insufficient evidence that he knew the Glock could be converted into a fully automatic firearm and also acquitted him of jointly possessing the weapon with another person.
Police had also discovered ammunition and spent casings during an earlier search of Schoop's residence. He was acquitted on those charges as well. The court considered that numerous people regularly visited the residence and found insufficient evidence to establish that Schoop exercised control over the items.
The Public Prosecutor's Office had requested a four-year prison sentence, with eight months suspended. The court imposed a lower sentence of 30 months, including six months suspended, taking Schoop's professional baseball career and his activities in the community into consideration.
At the same time, the court emphasized the public interest in combating illegal firearm possession in Curaçao.
Schoop played in Major League Baseball from 2013 through 2023, representing the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers. His arrest earlier this year also prevented him from joining the Kingdom of the Netherlands team at the World Baseball Classic.
With the appeal now filed, the conviction and sentence will be reviewed by the Joint Court of Justice. Schoop remains free pending the outcome of those proceedings.