Christopher Ronnie (born 1961/62) is a British businessman and convicted fraudster,

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

JJB Sports JJB Sports plc was a British sports retailer. On 24 September 2012, shares in JJB Sports were suspended, and the firm called in administrators. On 1 October 2012, it was announced that Sports Direct had purchased part of the business, inclu ...

from June 2007 to March 2009, when he was fired for failing to disclose the sale of his stake in the company within the required four days. In February 2009, Ronnie's lawyers said that he "has always maintained that he has not knowingly breached any disclosure obligations in relation to his shareholding" and stated Ronnie had "tendered a letter of resignation conditional upon reaching an agreement on the terms of a settlement." JJB rejected this resignation as no agreement had been met. Ronnie had previously worked for

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...

, Sports Direct International, Pentland Group and Blane Leisure Limited. In October 2010 Ronnie held discussions with DW Sports about purchasing the retail business from Dave Whelan's company. However, DW decided not to sell the business and issued a statement to that effect.

2014 fraud conviction

Ronnie appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Wednesday 4 April 2012 charged with

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compen ...

, theft and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of concealing the origin of money, obtained from illicit activities such as drug trafficking, corruption, embezzlement or gambling, by converting it into a legitimate source. It is a crime in many jurisdiction ...

. He appeared alongside a clothing manufacturer who was a key supplier to the sports retailer during Ronnie's tenure as chief executive of JJB between August 2007 and March 2009. The two arrests were the culmination of a three-year investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, which said investigations into possible offences committed by other suspects were ongoing. On 20 November 2014, Ronnie was convicted of three counts of fraud and two of furnishing false information. He was sentenced in December 2014 to four and a half years in jail, and banned indefinitely from acting as a company director.

References

20th-century births Living people 20th-century English criminals British people convicted of fraud English chief executives English prisoners and detainees Place of birth missing (living people) Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-business-bio-stub