UK jails tennis legend Boris Becker for hiding assets after bankruptcy
- The German was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for concealing hundreds of thousands of pounds of assets after he was declared bankrupt in 2017
- The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under Britain’s Insolvency Act
Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on Friday for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under Britain’s Insolvency Act and had faced a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Judge Deborah Taylor announced the sentence 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 after his June 2017 bankruptcy from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.
Becker was also convicted of failing to declare a property in Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro (US$871,000) bank loan and shares in a tech firm.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court in London acquitted him on 20 other counts, including charges that he failed to hand over his many awards, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.