Lionel Messi loses Spanish Supreme Court appeal on tax-fraud conviction

Lionel Messi has lost his appeal to the Spanish Supreme Court concerning his tax-fraud conviction.

The court confirmed the 21-month prison sentence handed to Messi for defrauding tax authorities of 4.1 million euros ($4.6 million) from 2007 to 2009. He is not expected to go to prison because sentences of less than two years for first offenses are usually suspended in Spain.

The court maintained the 2 million euro ($2.24 million) fine handed to the Argentina player in last year’s trial.

Messi’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, also had been convicted of tax fraud, but the court reduced his sentence from 21 months to 15 months because he cooperated by returning the defrauded money to the tax authorities. He also is not expected to face prison time.

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