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CHRIS TISCHOfficials say the former tennis pro fled to Germany to avoid grand theft and bad check charges.
TREASURE ISLAND - Tennis great Roscoe Tanner was known for a thundering left-hand serve that whistled over the net at 130 mph. He was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world in 1979, when he lost to Bjorn Borg in the Wimbledon final.
Tanner retired and launched several tennis-related business ventures from his native Tennessee. He later moved to Treasure Island and was hired as a tennis pro at the Treasure Island Tennis & Yacht Club and as head pro at the Westchase Community Association.
Then he was gone.
Prosecutors say Tanner fled to Germany as an investigation revved up into a shady boat deal he made. But the U.S. Marshal's Service caught up with him in Germany recently and returned him to Florida last weekend.
Tanner, 51, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail Sunday on charges of grand theft and writing a worthless check. He has not been able to post bail. He also cannot afford an attorney and is being represented by the Public Defender's Office, which has entered a not guilty plea.
Tanner also is wanted by authorities in Somerset County, N.J., where he owes more than $70,000 in child support, Pinellas sheriff's officials said.
Tanner's arrest stems from a deal he made in Treasure Island in the summer of 2000. Tanner bought a 32-foot Wellcraft from Gene Gammon & Associates by making a $3,700 deposit, then placing a $35,595 check into Gammon's account, an arrest affidavit states.
Bank officials erroneously told Gammon the check had cleared, so Gammon signed over the boat's title to Tanner. When Tanner's check bounced, authorities say, Gammon tried to phone Tanner dozens of times, then wrote him a letter demanding payment.
But a month later, Tanner used the boat as collateral in obtaining a $10,000 title loan with a 20 percent per-month interest rate, authorities say. He owed $12,000 by Sept. 10, 2000, but bounced another check trying to pay it off, the affidavit states.
A few days later, Tanner gave Gammon a copy of a receipt on State Attorney's Office letterhead, authorities say. The letter indicated Tanner had paid the office's Bad Check Division $37,000 to resolve the worthless check charges. When Gammon called the State Attorney's Office, he learned the letter was a fraud.
Tanner was hired six days later as a tennis pro at the Treasure Island club, where Gammon lived. The Westchase Community had hired his company, Tanner Tennis America, months earlier.
The day after he was hired in Treasure Island, Tanner gave the boat back to Gammon. He did not, however, tell Gammon he had used the boat as collateral for an unpaid loan, the affidavit says. A few weeks later, the boat was repossessed.
In January 2001, Tanner left the Treasure Island club after working there less than four months. Tanner and club officials said the split was amicable, but they would not elaborate.
Prosecutor Jim Hellickson said Tanner moved to Germany to avoid the investigation. But prosecutors tracked him there and extradited him.
Noting Tanner had fled the country to avoid prosecution, the State Attorney's Office asked a judge to increase his bail. It was raised from $26,500 to $55,000. Tanner remained at the jail Tuesday evening.
As a tennis pro, Tanner was ranked in the top 10 in the 1970s and won the Australian Open in 1977.
He left the pro tour in the 1980s, then pursued a number of business opportunities. In 1995, he planned to launch a tennis and recreation complex on Lookout Mountain. He then tried to open several tennis and fitness facilities throughout the country.
None worked out, and one business partner said Tanner left owing him money.
Previous published reports indicate a woman in New Jersey claimed he fathered a child with her and that he owed $500,000 in child support. He was arrested in 1997 over missing payments.
If convicted of the Pinellas County charges, Tanner could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
- Chris Tisch can be reached at 445-4156 or tisch@sptimes.com