Boris Becker (54) sat for hours on Friday in front of judge Deborah Taylor, who just announced the sentence against the ex-tennis professional: Two and a half years in prison for money laundering, fraud and evasion in bankruptcy. Becker will actually have to spend half of it behind bars. Becker showed no emotion after the sentence. He grabbed an already packed bag and was escorted out of the room through a side door by a court clerk. Becker will probably be taken to a detention center on Saturday.
Becker still has an appeal against both the guilty verdict and the sentence. He now has 28 days to appeal the verdict.
After a lengthy exposition from District Attorney Rebecca Chalkley and a comparatively brief statement from Becker’s representative, Jonathan Laidlaw, there was a pause. Shortly before 4 p.m., Becker, his son and his girlfriend returned to the courtroom, where the anxious wait for the sentence continued. The judge was half an hour late. At 4:46 p.m., she announced the verdict.
Laidlaw: “The Becker brand is in tatters”
Now the world star is faced with the ruins of his existence, as his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw describes in emotional closing words. “He has practically nothing left,” says Laidlaw, when he pleads for a lenient sentence. Becker will no longer find work and is dependent on the support of others. “The Becker brand is in tatters,” emphasizes Laidlaw. The procedure is already the greatest possible public humiliation. He hadn’t presented his client in a friendly manner at the trial. Becker was naïve and acted unwisely, but he was not a common fraud, as prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley had portrayed him as. He just can’t handle money.
As a tennis pro, Boris Becker has probably struggled with one or the other referee decision in his career. But never has there been so much at stake for the athlete as with Judge Deborah Taylor’s verdict on Friday. Three weeks ago, a jury found Becker guilty of four out of 24 charges. He intentionally withheld parts of his assets from his insolvency administrator. Including: accounts, real estate and even trophies. After the guilty verdict, the ex-tennis star had to give up his passport, but was released on bail.
In all likelihood, any sentence will be carried out in England, where prison conditions are harsher than in Germany. A transfer to Germany might be legally problematic.
$25 million in prize money
A presumably expensive shopping spree by Becker last Thursday provided a topic of conversation. He is said to have been in the exclusive and very expensive London store “Harrod’s”. But Becker had a lot of money. He earned $25 million in prize money in his career between 1984 and 1999. In addition, there is about the same amount through advertising, as he describes in court. Becker is surprised and appalled that such a crowd is suddenly gone. He has always relied on advisors, he says. There are also personal worries. Ex-wife Barbara has to pay Becker millions after the divorce, he also raises a fortune for his daughter Anna Ermakowa, supports his current wife Lilly, from whom he is separated, and their son Amadeus. His lifestyle is upscale, he lives in a trendy area of London.
Boris Becker himself had apparently expected a longer prison sentence in advance. According to British media reports, he has spent a lot of time with his loved ones and his partner in recent days Lilian de Carvalho and his children. Even ex-wife Lily Becker should he have met. But Becker’s biggest supporter in the case is probably his mother Elvira Becker. She asked the court not to send her son to prison: “All things considered, he’s a decent guy!”
