Boris Becker Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Jail After Being Found Guilty of Bankruptcy Charges

Boris Becker has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail in his bankruptcy case, according to multiple outlets.

Earlier this month, the tennis legend, 54, was found guilty of four Insolvency Act charges: removal of property, concealing debt, and two counts of failing to disclose estate, per ABC News. The jury also determined that he was guilty of not properly reporting property in Germany and concealing close to $1 million in debt, plus 75,000 shares in the Artificial Intelligence company Breaking Data Corp.

Becker was facing up to seven years in prison and was sentenced by Judge Deborah Taylor in a London court on Friday. According to the BBC, Taylor said during sentencing that Becker had shown no remorse or acceptance of guilt.

Referring to Becker's previous conviction for tax evasion in Germany in 2002, she said, "You did not heed the warning you were given and the chance you were given by the suspended sentence and that is a significant aggravating factor."

Taylor continued, "You have ... sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy. While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility."

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According to ABC News, the six-time Grand Slam champion had previously denied all the charges and said he had "cooperated with trustees tasked with securing his assets — even offering up his wedding ring — and had acted on expert advice."

Becker was found not guilty on 20 additional counts against him, including accusations that he didn't hand over his Olympic gold medal and two Wimbledon awards to the trustees tasked with helping him to cover his debt, ABC News reported.

Following his bankruptcy in June 2017, Becker was found to have withdrawn six figures in funds from his business account and deposited them in other accounts, according to the news outlet. His former wife Barbara Feltus and estranged wife Sharlely "Lilly" Becker –– who he separated from in 2018 –– owned some of the accounts where Boris transferred money.

During the trial, Becker claimed he spent the $50 million he earned throughout his career on divorcing his first wife (Feltus), child support, and "expensive lifestyle commitments," noting that his salary "reduced dramatically" after he retired in 1999.

According to the BBC, Becker's attorney Jonathan Laidlaw asked for leniency on Friday and told the court the former tennis star's "fall from grace" had left "his reputation in tatters."

Laidlaw continued, "Becker has literally nothing and there is also nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers and that is correctly termed as nothing short of a tragedy."