BANKRUPTCY RACKET!
Brazen Boris Becker gets 2.5 years for covering his assets
GERMAN tennis great Boris Becker was served a twoand-a-half-year prison term in London for hiding hundreds of thousands in property after declaring bankruptcy in 2017!
His lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw begged the court for leniency, claiming the six-time Grand Slam champion — who once boasted a $50 million fortune — “has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for the most glittering of sporting careers.”
But Judge Deborah Taylor blasted the onetime Baron von Slam, 54, for refusing to show remorse or humility — though she declined to impose the maximum sentence.
As GLOBE reported, the three-time Wimbledon winner had faced up to seven years behind bars for his April conviction on four charges under the Insolvency Act — including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate.
The court ruled Becker hid money in accounts owned by exes Barbara Feltus and Sharlely Becker and failed to fess up about an estate in Germany, a bank loan worth nearly $1 million and a secret stash of tech stocks.
But Becker was acquitted on 20 other counts — including accusations he didn’t fork over his Olympic gold medal and Wimbledon trophies to trustees tasked with managing his debts.
During his sensational trial, the tennis world’s former No. 1 claimed his money woes reached a breaking point because of his costly 2001 divorce with Barbara, lousy financial advice and “expensive lifestyle commitments!”
But the case wasn’t Becker’s first financial foul. He was previously convicted of tax evasion in Germany in 2002 and was socked with a $300,000 fine.
“These proceedings have destroyed any future prospect of him earning an income,” moans Laidlaw.
“He will not be able to find work, and he will have to rely on the charity of others if he is to survive.”