How Maria Sharapova got involved with luxury housing fraud in India
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Down the line
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova is under investigation by Indian police for cheating and criminal conspiracy after the collapse of a luxury housing project that she endorsed, a lawyer said on November 21.
The firm behind the development is alleged to have taken millions of dollars from homebuyers before the project folded.
The firm behind the development is alleged to have taken millions of dollars from homebuyers before the project folded.
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Under probe
Piyush Singh, a lawyer representing one of the buyers, said that police had filed initial charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy against Sharapova as part of a wider case against the firm Homestead Infrastructure Development.
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What's Sharapova's role?
"Any celebrity who endorses any product technically becomes an agent for that company. No one would have invested in the project if Sharapova's name was not there," said Singh.
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Bad times
The former world number one made almost $30 million in 2015, according to Forbes, with $23 million of that coming from endorsements like the project in Gurgaon.
She has had a stop-start season since her controversial return to the game in April, following a 15-month doping ban.
She has had a stop-start season since her controversial return to the game in April, following a 15-month doping ban.