Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sends letter to judge detailing misgivings of Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg ahead of sentencing

TL;DR

Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, sent a letter to a judge expressing his concerns about Joe Sanberg, co-founder of Aspiration, ahead of Sanberg's sentencing for fraud. Ballmer claims he was defrauded out of a $60 million investment due to misleading statements about Aspiration's financial viability.

Key points

Steve Ballmer sent a letter to a judge regarding Joe Sanberg.
Sanberg is scheduled for sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud.
Ballmer claims he was defrauded out of a $60 million investment.
Aspiration is a sustainability-focused company.
Ballmer and Sanberg had a shared interest in sustainability.

Mentioned in this story

Steve BallmerJoe SanbergAspiration

Los Angeles Clippers

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sends letter to judge detailing misgivings of Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg ahead of sentencing

Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg is scheduled to be sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to charges of fraud in October. Ahead of Sanberg’s sentencing, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer had his attorneys send a letter to the judge overseeing the sentencing which detailed all the ways in which Ballmer claimed he was defrauded by Sanberg and Aspiration.

Ballmer’s letter, which spans five pages, details multiple instances in which the Clippers’ owner claimed he was duped by Sanberg. Ballmer called himself “a clear and undisputed victim of Sanberg’s fraud.”

Ballmer said he initially invested $60 million in Aspiration because he believed Sanberg’s statements about the financial viability of the company. He added that he and Sanberg had a “shared interest in sustainability,” which made Ballmer want to invest in Aspiration. The company was billed as a “sustainability-as-a-service” company that would plant trees in order to offset carbon emissions.

The Clippers’ owner claimed he was targeted by Aspiration for his “reputation for integrity, and genuine passion for sustainability.” He then laid out specific agreements he reached with Aspiration, including a $300 million agreement that made Aspiration a founding partner of the Clippers. That agreement eventually fell apart.

Ballmer also detailed financial investments he made in Aspiration, which he claimed he lost due to Sanberg’s fraud.

Near the end of the letter, Ballmer said “most persistent and damaging injury” caused by Sanberg was to Ballmer’s reputation. Ballmer claimed that his reputation has been turned “inside out” thanks to putting his trust in Sanberg.

The Clippers’ owner cited both journalist Pablo Torre’s repeated podcasts digging into Ballmer’s relationship with Aspiration and the NBA’s investigation into the situation as two ways in which his reputation has been negatively affected due to Sanberg.