LONDON — Boris Becker, the legendary tennis player, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail on Friday for illegally moving substantial sums of money and concealing assets after being declared bankrupt.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this month after being found guilty of four counts under the Insolvency Act.
After hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and Becker's counsel, Judge Deborah Taylor handed down the sentence.
Following his June 2017 bankruptcy, the 54-year-old German was discovered to have moved hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) from his company account to other accounts, including his ex-wife Barbara's and estranged wife Sharley "Lilly" Becker's.
Becker was also found guilty of not declaring a property in Germany and concealing an 825,000 euro ($871,000) bank loan and shares in a technology company.
He was acquitted on 20 additional counts by a jury in London's Southwark Crown Court, including claims that he neglected to give over his numerous achievements, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.
Becker arrived at the courthouse hand in hand with girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro, sporting a striped tie in Wimbledon's purple and green colors.
The six-time Grand Slam winner has rejected all claims, claiming that he worked with trustees to secure his assets, even giving up his wedding band and that he followed professional advice.
Prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley claimed Becker acted "deliberately and dishonestly" and was "still attempting to blame others" at his sentencing hearing on Friday.
Jonathan Laidlaw, the defense counsel, pleaded for leniency, claiming that his client had spent money on child support, housing, and legal and business expenditures rather than on a "lavish lifestyle." Becker has been "publicly humiliated," he told the court and has no future revenue prospects.
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 wiped out by payments for an "expensive divorce" and debts incurred when he lost substantial parts of his income after retiring.
Becker shot to fame when, at the age of 17, he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title, and went on to become the world's No. 1 tennis player. Since 2012, he has resided in the United Kingdom.
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