Matias who is the elder brother of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been sentenced for possessing an illegal firearm. The 35-year-old received a two-and-a-half year prison sentence on Thursday, August 16, but he will undertake community service instead of going to jail. According to the report by Argentine newspaper La Capital, investigating prosecutors met before they reached an agreement of Matias not to go to prison any longer. The report added that the firearm was found late in 2017 inside a blood-stained boat which Matias crashed in the Parana River.
Matias' lawyer was also said to have argued that his client crashed the boat into a sandbank and denied that he owned the gun. He is the middle brother in the Messi family with Rodrigo aged 38 and Lionel aged 31. The trio also have a younger sister, 31, called Maria. Meanwhile, Barcelona star Lionel Messi is preparing for the new La Liga season after a disappointing campaign at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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