Chris Kirchner, who nearly acquired two English football clubs, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud.
Kirchner, 36, received his sentence at the Fort Worth courthouse in Texas and was also ordered to pay $65,415,938.12 in restitution. Following his prison term, he will be under supervised release for three years. His approval was contingent on making an initial payment of £22 million.
However, six weeks after being named the preferred bidder, Kirchner withdrew his interest due to being unable to make the initial payment.
This occurred just a few months after he backed out of a deal to purchase another EFL club, Preston North End.
As a result, Derby faced an even more precarious situation, with the club on the brink of going out of business.
In a January trial, Kirchner was found guilty of four counts of wire fraud and seven counts of money laundering.
Despite his attorney’s request for a five-year sentence, the judge deemed 20 years more appropriate.
Kirchner nearly bought Derby in 2022 after the club went into administration.
Named the preferred bidder in April 2022, the American was on the verge of becoming the new owner of the Rams and received ‘conditional approval’ to buy the club.
