Maria Sharapova Under Investigation by Indian Police

Maria Sharapova is in hot water again today, this time with the police in New Delhi, India. The five-time Grand Slam champion just returned to the tennis world in April, after a 15-month ban for using a performance enhancer that wasn’t previously illegal in the sport.

Now, she’s being accused of a different kind of cheating. Sharapova is being investigated for criminal conspiracy, after a luxury housing project she publicly endorsed disappeared with millions of dollars.

The development in Gurgaon, just outside India’s capitol city New Delhi, was set to be finished in 2016. Piyush Singh, the attorney representing the case, says that construction was abandoned completely after the firm, Homestead Infrastructure Development, collected their money from prospective home buyers.

Singh also says that Sharapova shares a large part of the blame for this apparent theft. “No one would have invested in the project if Sharapova’s name was not there,” he told reporters.

Sharapova went to India in 2012 to help launch the high-rise apartment complex. It was advertised with her image, and was meant to have a tennis academy on the premises when finished. The development was later named “Ballet by Sharapova.”

Homestead Infrastructure Development has not answered any calls or queries about the case so far. Sharapova has yet to comment as well. It’s unclear if the project was part of a conspiracy, and, if so, how much of a role Sharapova might have had in it. Forbes has reported that Sharapova made about $23 million in endorsements last year.

The case is open with New Delhi Police, but so far Sharapova is simply a person of interest.