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Exclusive: On the morning of his arrest, Grigor Sargsyan was still fixing matches.
Sargsyan was negotiating with professional tennis players, who he had assiduously recruited over years. He needed them to throw a game, a set or even just a point so he and a global network of associates could place bets on the outcomes.
He would recruit more than 180 professional tennis players across five continents to throw their matches so he could bet on the results.
Sargsyan was negotiating with professional tennis players, who he had assiduously recruited over years. He needed them to throw a game, a set or even just a point so he and a global network of associates could place bets on the outcomes.
He would recruit more than 180 professional tennis players across five continents to throw their matches so he could bet on the results.
As gambling on tennis exploded into a $50 billion industry, Sargsyan, 33, had infiltrated the sport, paying pros more to lose matches, or parts of matches, than they could make by winning tournaments.
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wapo.st/3R5QJYu
It was one of the biggest match-fixing rings in modern sports.
He had honed his tactics over years. He had learned to nurture the ones who were nervous. He knew when to be businesslike and direct, communicating his offers like an auctioneer. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
He had honed his tactics over years. He had learned to nurture the ones who were nervous. He knew when to be businesslike and direct, communicating his offers like an auctioneer. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
Sargsyan described himself as a kind of Robin Hood who flouted the law and the ethics of tennis to reimburse its poorest players. The bulk of the sport’s 1,300 tournaments offer little prize money, with some so small they are held on high school courts.
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
Yet those same obscure matches — a long way from the luster of Wimbledon — have become vehicles for billions of dollars in gambling.
He bought diamond rings for players’ wives, paid for flights, handed out cellphones and keys to an empty Brussels apartment.
Players spoke of his charm, his seemingly endless supply of cash, his ability to shift among languages. It was as if he strolled out of a country club and was suddenly a fixture at professional tennis matches.
He bought diamond rings for players’ wives, paid for flights, handed out cellphones and keys to an empty Brussels apartment.
Players spoke of his charm, his seemingly endless supply of cash, his ability to shift among languages. It was as if he strolled out of a country club and was suddenly a fixture at professional tennis matches.
When he met recruits, Sargsyan introduced himself as a “sponsor” and a lifelong fan of the sport.
He played down the illegality of match-fixing, wondering aloud how something so easy could be classified as a crime.
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
He played down the illegality of match-fixing, wondering aloud how something so easy could be classified as a crime.
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
As investigators got closer to arresting him, they concluded that Sargsyan was working on behalf of a transnational criminal syndicate based in Armenia.
He was sending millions of dollars to a man in the country’s capital, Yerevan. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
He was sending millions of dollars to a man in the country’s capital, Yerevan. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
The Sargsyan investigation would lead tennis officials to issue a string of lifetime bans and suspensions from the sport.
But even as they attempted to purge his network from the tour, more match-fixing alerts poured in. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
But even as they attempted to purge his network from the tour, more match-fixing alerts poured in. wapo.st/3R5QJYu
The Post's investigation into Sargsyan includes interviews with players, coaches and match fixers, as well as thousands of his text messages, hundreds of internal European law-enforcement documents, and the interrogation transcripts of players.
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
wapo.st/3R5QJYu
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