Boris Becker sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for hiding assets after bankruptcy
Tennis legend Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, Judge Deborah Taylor announced Friday, for refusing to disclose his assets and illegally transferring large sums of money after declaring bankruptcy in 2017.
The 54-year-old was found guilty of disregarding the parameters of his bankruptcy last month. Specifically, Becker transferred hundreds of thousands in British pounds from his business account and hiding a property he owns in his hometown of Leimen, Germany.
In addition, the former world No. 1 was convicted of refusing to disclose a €825,000 (just over $870,000) bank loan and 75,000 shares in Breaking Data Corp., a tech firm.
Becker faced up to seven years in prison for his violations of the Insolvency Act. His barrister, Jonathan Laidlaw, pleaded with the court to show leniency to the German tennis star, who he claimed had already lost so much.
“This defendant has now lost literally everything. He has already paid an extremely heavy price for his mishandling of his financial affairs but also as a result of his offending. He will lose any interest in any other property or assets he has. Boris Becker has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for the most glittering of sporting careers. That is nothing short of tragedy,” Laidlaw said.
“It is not only a fall from grace, but the most public of humiliations of this manner. His degree of suffering – and it will continue – is punishment no other bankrupt in this country is ever likely to experience.
“He does not have a future. These proceedings have destroyed his career, they have destroyed any future prospect of him earning an income. He will not be able to find work and he will have to rely on the charity of others if he is to survive.”
Becker, who arrived to court wearing a striped tie in the Wimbledon colors, also pled his case to the jurors. He claimed that the $50 million he had won during his illustrious tennis career had all gone to his pricy divorce to first wife Barbara Becker, child support and the expensive nature of his lifestyle.
The former Wimbledon champion’s girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro and his eldest son, Noah Becker, sat in the court room for Becker’s sentencing. Dozens of fans and members of the media waited outside Southwark Crown Court. His supporters led chants of “free Boris Becker!”
Previously, a jury convicted him of transferring 427,00 euros ($450,000) to nine different accounts, including those of Barbara and estranged wife, Lilly Becker. The jury acquitted him of an additional 20 counts, including charges that he refused to give up his Wimbledon trophies and his Olympic gold medal.