Chris Kirchner, former potential owner of Derby County, sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud

Chris Kirchner, who almost bought two English football clubs, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud.

Kirchner, 36, was convicted in a court in Fort Worth, Texas, and ordered to pay $65,415,938.12 in restitution. His sentence will be followed by three years’ probation.

In January, a jury found Kirchner guilty on four counts of wire fraud and seven other counts of money laundering. He was released on bail and faced a maximum sentence of 150 years in prison.

Kirchner, who wore an orange jumpsuit at his sentencing Thursday, was reprimanded by Judge Mark T. Pittman for his lack of cooperation and communication with his lawyers throughout the proceedings, which began with a private attorney and ended with a court-appointed defense attorney.

Judge Pittman said several times that he did not like Kirchner wasting his time and the court’s time by trying to delay the inevitable – a long prison sentence. At one point, the judge remarked, “We are not going to play these games.” He pointed out that it was Kirchner’s decision to open the trial even though the evidence against him was, as the judge said, not just beyond a reasonable doubt but “overwhelming.” The judge said the jury took about 30 minutes to find Kirchner guilty, saying it was one of the shortest deliberation times he could remember in recent years.

When given the opportunity, Kirchner chose not to speak directly in court. His defense attorney requested a sentence of about five years, as this would be more in line with the crime. The judge denied the request, noting that the sentence would be between 235 and 293 months.

Kirchner attends a match at Pride Park Stadium in Derby in 2022. (Photo: Nigel French / PA Images via Getty Images)

Although the judge did not list all of the items seized, he said they included a 2020 Rolls-Royce, several expensive watches, jewelry and various bank accounts.

After announcing the 20-year sentence, the judge drew attention to a piece of art in the back of the courtroom – a photograph of famous Texas outlaw Sam Bass in a gunfight with the Texas Rangers in 1878. Bass was a criminal and committed several major robberies until he died of gunshot wounds on his 27th birthday. Judge Pittman directed his remarks to Kirchner, saying he should not think he was better than Bass.

The judge added that as a criminal, Bass must at least lead a life on the run, while Kirchner enjoys the luxury of flying on private jets, owning expensive jewelry and playing golf with celebrities.

GO DEEPER

The men who want to buy football clubs: Chris Kirchner, the $25 million fraud

The FBI arrested Kirchner on Valentine’s Day 2023 and charged him with wire fraud after claiming he transferred millions of dollars from the accounts of Slync, a software startup he founded in 2017, to his personal account. A $16 million Gulfstream jet was one of the many things he bought with other people’s money as he built a “life of luxury” by embezzling his company’s funds. At Kirchner’s four-day trial in January this year, evidence showed he had used at least $25 million in investor funds for his personal purposes.

Through Slync’s sponsorship of high-profile sporting events – estimated to be worth nearly $60 million – Kirchner rose to prominence and played golf with stars such as Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.

The company’s sponsorship of the Dubai Desert Classic, a flagship event on the European golf tour, was announced in September 2021 as a multi-year agreement that was ultimately terminated 12 months later. There was also a commercial deal with the NHL’s Dallas Stars where Slync was unable to maintain payments until June 2022.

“Instead of focusing on growing his fledgling company, Christopher Kirchner is alleged to have defrauded investors of millions of dollars to finance a lavish lifestyle. He then attempted to cover his tracks by defrauding even more investors and firing employees who dared to question him,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton when Kirchner was first charged.

Kirchner’s downfall was sudden and spectacular. His deal to buy English Football League (EFL) club Derby County collapsed in June 2022, just months after he backed out of a similar deal to buy Preston North End, another Championship club.

He had previously been named as the preferred bidder to take over Derby, which was then run by the club’s administration and had the backing of then-manager Wayne Rooney.

(Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)