Former MLS and Eredivisie league midfielder Marco Pablo Pappa was sentenced to five years in prison for a domestic violence offence in Guatemala on Tuesday.
Pappa, who played for Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders, was processed after entering a guilty plea in facing charges against his girlfriend. He had allegedly hit his girlfriend on Jan. 21, 2019, but she did not want to file charges against Pappa.
A public prosecutor in Guatemala, however, continued to follow the case and brought the charges against the former Heerenveen player, who was alleged to have been inebriated during the incident.
Pappa, 32, had been previously detained in Guatemala in January 2018 for alleged domestic violence against then-girlfriend Francesca Marie Kennedy. The former Guatemala U23 midfielder issued a public apology to Kennedy in July of 2018 as part of the court settlement.
In the apology, Pappa promised to make an effort to be an example for future generations to promote respect toward women.
In December of 2015, Pappa was an alleged victim of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend in Colorado, the ex-Miss Washington pageant winner Stormy Keffeler.
According to police reports, Keffeler attacked Pappa with a knife in Seattle. Pappa is eligible to have his sentence commuted if the court finds no prior convictions against him. Pappa is not currently playing professional football.