Massimo Cellino's takeover plans at Leeds United have been thrown into fresh doubt.
The Daily Star says a court in Cagliari found Cellino guilty of avoiding payment of more than 400,000 in import tax on a yacht he bought in 2010.
Judge Sandra Lepore fined Cellino 600,000 and ordered the vessel, named Nelie, be confiscated.
Cellino's defence lawyer Giovanni Cocco announced Cellino, who was not in court, plans to appeal against the verdict.
Cellino, who heads Eleonora Sports, was hoping to have his takeover ratified by the Football League.
However the governing body's 'owners and directors' test, prevents anyone with an unspent conviction for dishonesty offences from being a director, a 30 per cent owner, or from exercising control over one of its clubs which points to the Cellino takeover being blocked.
