Former tennis star Boris Becker sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after bankruptcy fraud
Former tennis star Boris Becker was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Friday after he illegally transferred large amounts of money after declaring that he was bankrupt, according to The Associated Press.
Becker was convicted in London earlier this month on four charges under the country’s Insolvency Act, per the report. Officials said that the 54-year-old transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds from his business account to other accounts after he declared bankruptcy in 2017.
He also allegedly sent money to his ex-wife and his estranged wife, per the report. Becker was convicted of hiding a bank loan of about $871,000 and shares in a tech firm in Germany, too. He was acquitted on 20 other charges through the proceedings.
Becker said during the trial that his bankruptcy came from a $4.8 million loan in 2013 and then about a $1.6 million loan from a businessman in 2014. He has denied the charges against him, and said that he cooperated fully. He wasn’t spending the money on a “lavish lifestyle,” he claimed, but rather on child support, rent and other expenses.
Becker, a six-time Grand Slam winner, earned about $50 million throughout his tennis career. He said that money went toward his divorce and other debts after his retirement.
Becker turned pro in 1984 when he was 17. He won the Wimbledon singles title the following year, which made him the first unseeded player to do so. He won Wimbledon two other times during his career, along with the U.S. Open and the Australian Open twice. Becker, the former top-ranked player in the world, finished his career with 49 singles titles.
