LONDON (AP) – Tennis player Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday for illegally transferring large sums of money and concealing assets after he was declared bankrupt.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under the Bankruptcy Act and faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Judge Deborah Taylor announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and Becker’s lawyer.
The 54-year-old German was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) after his bankruptcy in June 2017 from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Charlie “Lily” Becker.
Becker was also convicted of failing to declare property in Germany and withholding a bank loan of 825,000 euros ($ 871,000) and shares in a technology company.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London acquitted him of 20 other charges, including allegations that he failed to present his many awards, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.
Becker, dressed in a purple and green striped Wimbledon tie, entered the courthouse hand in hand with his girlfriend, Lillian de Carvalho Monteiro.
The six-time Grand Slam champion has denied all allegations, saying he cooperated with trustees in charge of securing his assets – even offering his wedding ring – and acted on expert advice.
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, prosecutor Rebecca Chackley said Becker had acted “intentionally and dishonestly” and that he was “still trying to blame others”.
Defense attorney Jonathan Leidlow called for leniency, saying his client had not spent money on a “luxury lifestyle” but rather on child support, rent and legal and business expenses. Becker, he told the court, has experienced “public humiliation” and has no potential for future profits.
Becker’s bankruptcy stemmed from a $ 4.6 million ($ 5 million) loan from a private bank in 2013, as well as about $ 1.6 million borrowed from a British businessman a year later, according to testimony during the trial.
During the trial, Becker said his $ 50 million career profits were absorbed by expensive divorce payments and debts when he lost much of his income after retirement.
Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unplaced player to win the Wimbledon singles title and later rose to No. 1 on the charts. He has lived in the UK since 2012.
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