Tennis star Boris Becker charged for allegedly hiding Grand Slam trophies during bankruptcy
Boris Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 ranked player, has been charged with failing to hand over trophies and medals as part of his bankruptcy filing from 2017, the BBC reported.
Becker appeared in a London court on Thursday and faces a total of 28 charges, including for not turning over the hardware to pay debts. It includes Wimbledon and Australian Open trophies.
Becker faces new charges in failing to hand over trophies
Becker, 52, entered court already facing 19 charges for failure to comply with legal obligations to disclose information, per the Guardian. Nine more charges were added on Thursday alleging he hid the trophies and medals so they could not be sold.
One new charge relates to hiding the 1985 Wimbledon trophy, per the Guardian. Becker was the youngest Wimbledon men’s singles champion when he won it at the age of 17 years and seven months. He was also the first German and the first unseeded winner.
Another charge is for the 1989 Wimbledon trophy. He also won at Wimbledon in 1986.
Becker is also accused of hiding two President’s Cups (1985, 1989), a 1988 Davis Cup gold coin and 1989 Davis Cup trophy, both Australian Open trophies (1991, 1996) and a 1992 Olympic gold medal.
He won Germany an Olympic gold in men’s doubles with Michael Stich at the 1992 Barcelona games. He is also a winner at the U.S. Open (1989).
Becker’s 19 charges for failing to disclose money, property
Becker pleaded not guilty to the original 19 criminal charges last month. The charges are for failing to disclose “money, property and debt between May and June 2017.”
He reportedly concealed property from the bankruptcy trustees by transferring money to individuals, including his former wife Barbara Becker and his estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker. He is alleged to have hid holding of shares in a firm called Breaking Data Corp.
Becker denies all 28 counts
The former 12-week No. 1 tennis star declared bankruptcy in June 2017 for debts owed to the bank. He spoke at the hearing on Thursday only to confirm his name, deny all 28 counts and say he understood he would face arrest if he didn’t appear for trial, per The Guardian.
The trial is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2021. He was released on bail.
“He is determined to face and contest these charges and restore his reputation in relation to the allegations made against him,” his lawyer Jonathan Caplan said via BBC Sports.
Becker entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003. He has worked as a commentator on the BBC and coached current world No. 1 Novak Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, covering six Grand Slam titles.
More from Yahoo Sports:
