LONDON (AP) 鈥� Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Friday for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt.
The three-time Wimbledon champion was convicted earlier this month on four charges under the Insolvency Act and had faced a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Judge Deborah Taylor announced the sentence after hearing arguments from both the prosecutor and Becker's attorney. She told the former top-ranked player that he's shown no remorse.
鈥淲hile I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility," Taylor said.
Becker will have to serve at least 15 months before being eligible for release.
The 54-year-old German was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) after his June 2017 bankruptcy from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely 鈥淟illy鈥� Becker.
Becker was also convicted of failing to declare a property in Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro ($871,000) bank loan and shares in a tech firm.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court in London acquitted him on 20 other counts, including charges that he failed to hand over his many awards, including two Wimbledon trophies and an Olympic gold medal.
Becker, wearing a striped tie in Wimbledon鈥檚 purple and green colors, walked into the courthouse hand in hand with girlfriend Lilian de Carvalho Monteiro.
The six-time Grand Slam champion has denied all the charges, saying he had cooperated with trustees tasked with securing his assets 鈥� even offering up his wedding ring 鈥� and had acted on expert advice.
At Friday's sentencing hearing, prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley said Becker had acted 鈥渄eliberately and dishonestly鈥� and that he was 鈥渟till seeking to blame others."
Defense attorney Jonathan Laidlaw argued for leniency, saying his client hadn't spent money on a 鈥渓avish lifestyle鈥� but rather on child support, rent and legal and business expenses. Becker, he told the court, has experienced 鈥減ublic humiliation鈥� and has no future earnings potential.
The judge said Becker's two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002 was 鈥渁 significant aggravating factor鈥� in her decision Friday. She said he 鈥渄id not heed the warning鈥� and opportunity of that suspended sentence.
Becker鈥檚 bankruptcy stemmed from a 4.6 million euro ($5 million) loan from a private bank in 2013, as well as about $1.6 million borrowed from a British businessman the year after, according to testimony at the trial.
During the trial Becker, said his $50 million career earnings had been swallowed up by payments for an 鈥渆xpensive divorce鈥� and debts when he lost large chunks of his income after retirement.
Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title and later rose to the No. 1 ranking. He has lived in Britain since 2012.
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