Boris Becker released months after prison sentence over $4 million fraud
Tennis legend Boris Becker has been released from prison and deported back to Germany just months after being sentenced over a $4 million fraud. Becker was convicted of four charges under Britain's Insolvency Act, including failing to disclose, concealing and removing significant assets following a bankruptcy trial.
Despite in April being sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars for hiding hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of assets from creditors after he was declared bankrupt, the 55-year-old was released from custody in England. The six-time grand slam champion's Berlin-based attorney Christian-Oliver Moser confirmed that he had been transported back to his native Germany.
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Moser said Becker had "served his sentence and is not subject to any penal restrictions in Germany" but declined to provide information on where Becker would arrive when he touches down back in Germany. Media reports suggested he would stay with friends in Frankfurt, however, any requests for interviews "will not be answered" according to his lawyer.
The shock development comes after Judge Deborah Taylor said in April that Becker would serve at least half of his sentence behind bars, having found the tennis great guilty of hiding around $4.4 million worth of assets in order to avoid paying his debts.
Becker was initially reported to have been held at Wandsworth Prison in southwest London, near the All England Club at Wimbledon where he won three of his career major titles. He was then transferred to the lower-security Huntercombe prison near Oxford, southern England, for foreign criminals awaiting deportation.
The tennis icon qualified for removal as he is not a British citizen and received a custodial sentence of more than 12 months. The Sun newspaper on Tuesday said Becker's mother Elvira, 87, told a friend that her son's release from prison was "the best Christmas present I could hope for". "I cannot wait to hold my beloved son in my arms," she was quoted as saying.
Boris Becker hid assets after filing for bankruptcy
Earlier this year, the 55-year-old was found guilty of transferring money to his former wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharley in 2017 after he had declared bankruptcy. Becker's lawyer had pleaded for leniency on behalf of the tennis great after he claimed the star had "literally nothing to show for what was the most glittering of sporting careers".
The judge claimed the six-time grand slam champion, who was wearing his Wimbledon tie in court, had shown no remorse during his time pleading his case.
"It is notable you have not shown remorse or acceptance of your guilt," judge Deborah Taylor told him at London's Southwark Crown Court at the time. "While I accept the humiliation you have felt as a result of these proceedings, you have shown no humility."
Becker has found himself in trouble with authorities in the past. The two-time Australian Open winner was convicted of tax evasion in Germany back in 2002, which resulted in a suspended prison sentence.
The British court heard how Becker had managed to lose his fortune following his glittering career. Becker was acquitted of 20 other counts, including charges that he failed to hand over other assets, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.
Becker burst onto the sporting scene with his 1985 Wimbledon title at just 17 years old. The German went on to win the All England Club Championship two more times in 1986 and 1989.
with agencies
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