Tennis star Boris Becker sentenced to prison on bankruptcy charges

Boris Becker has been sentenced to prison on bankruptcy charges.

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The tennis great has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years behind bars, The Associated Press reported.

He had been on trial for hiding assets and loans so he would not have to pay back his debts, BBC News reported.

Becker was accused of illegally transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt in June 2017, the AP reported.

The German tennis star had been found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act but was cleared of 20 other charges he faced, according to BBC News.

The prosecutor said Becker acted “deliberately and dishonestly” and was “still seeking to blame others,” while the defense said that his client didn’t spend the money on a “lavish lifestyle,” but rather on child support, rent and legal and business expenses.

He had borrowed about $5 million from a private bank in 2013 and $1.6 million from a British businessman in 2014. He said that the $50 million he had earned over his career had gone to an “expensive divorce” and debts he incurred after he retired.

Becker told the court he has experienced “public humiliation” and has no future earnings potential.

Becker won the Grand Slam six times and Wimbledon three times. He was the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title in 1985 when he was 17, the AP reported.

He has lived in Britain since 2012.