On charges of tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud, Boris Becker, the legendary Wimbledon champion, has been jailed for more than 2 years.
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Boris Becker, the former world number one tennis player, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by a London court for trying to conceal millions of dollars in assets in a bankruptcy fraud case.
Despite his claimed $50 million in total career earnings, the three-time Wimbledon champion has fought with the law on many times in post-retirement over tax evasion, having been sentenced to a (suspended) 2-year prison sentence in his native Germany in 2002.
After being found guilty on April 8 of “transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds from his business account and failing to declare a property in his hometown of Leimen, Germany,” he arrived to his Friday sentencing in central London wearing a Wimbledon tie, according to The Daily Mail.
He faced a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, but was only sentenced to two-and-a-half years after being found not guilty on 20 counts – the majority of which were related to the Insolvency Act, with four staying after his declaration of bankruptcy in 2017 – and allegations of money laundering.
According to the BBC, prosecutors claim he tried to hide £390,000 in payments by passing them to others while failing to repay a £3 million loan on a luxurious estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Jurors found Becker guilty of removal of property, two charges of failing to disclose estate, and hiding debt earlier this month after hearing evidence for around two weeks.
They acquitted him on 20 charges, including nine counts of neglecting to hand over his tennis trophies and medals, including two from Wimbledon.
Becker on April 8, the day after he was convicted…
The prosecution focused its case before the court on Becker acting “deliberately and dishonestly” and that he is “still seeking to blame others” during Friday’s sentencing session.
According to further information about the case:
According to testimony during the trial, Becker’s bankruptcy was caused by a 4.6 million euro ($5 million) loan from a private bank in 2013, as well as a $1.6 million loan from a British businessman the following year.
During the trial, Becker claimed that his $50 million career earnings were swallowed up by payments for a “expensive divorce” and debts incurred when he lost substantial parts of his income after retiring.
Despite being one of Tennis’ most well-known figures, the six-time Grand Slam winner has stated that his “tragic” actions have left him with “literally nothing.”
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Figures like Becker get no sympathy, despite the fact their only significant skill may be the one which made them successful. Besides divorces from trophy spouses (Divorce lawyers SPECIALIZE in delay.), sports heroes succumb to dodgy financial advisors. The smart long-run move is to pay the marginal currency unit; but see my first sentence.