Boris Becker sentenced to 2½ years in prison for concealing assets after bankruptcy

The tennis champion has been and was convicted on four charges, including concealing assets after he was declared bankrupt.

Former top-ranked tennis player Boris Becker was sentenced to 2½ years in prison after being found guilty of concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets after he was declared bankrupt.

The six-time Grand Slam winner appeared for sentencing at London’s Southwark Crown Court Friday after being convicted on four charges under the U.K.’s Insolvency Act earlier this month.

The German tennis star, 54 years old, was also found guilty of concealing debt, removal of property and two counts of failing to disclose estate. He denies the charges.

Mr. Becker’s lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Boris Becker and his girlfriend arrived at court in London on Friday for his sentencing. Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage

During the trial, the court heard that Mr. Becker was declared bankrupt in June 2017 in London’s High Court following a petition from private bank Arbuthnot Latham & Co.

As part of the bankruptcy ruling Mr. Becker was required to disclose all of his assets. He was found guilty of removing property totalling close to €427,000, equivalent to $449,000, from his bankruptcy estate, failing to disclose ownership of a property in Leimen, Germany, concealing a loan of €825,000 and ownership of 75,000 shares in technology company Breaking Data Corp.

Mr. Becker was acquitted on 20 further counts, including charges that he failed to hand over several awards, including an Olympic gold medal and two Wimbledon trophies.

Mr. Becker was one of the best-known tennis stars of the 1980s and 1990s, winning 49 titles, six Grand Slams and earning more than $25 million in prize money during his career, according to ATP Tour data.

-The Wall Street Journal