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Denis Pitner was suspended by the ITF last August, but went
on to work as a linesman at the U.S. Open in September, due to
what The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said was a
"flaw" in their system.
The ITF said in a statement that Pitner had now been banned
until 2026 after being found guilty of offences, including his
failure to notify the USTA that his certification had been
suspended prior to the U.S. Open.
He was also found guilty of misrepresentation in officiating at
the 2016 Qatar Open and in an application to officiate at
Wimbledon.
Pitner was originally suspended after sending information about
a player to a coach during a tournament and regularly logging on
to a betting account from which bets were placed on tennis
matches.
The USTA said in February that Pitner had already picked up his
accreditation to work at the U.S. Open before they were notified
of his ban.
They said they would be investigating why his credentials to
work at the tournament were not later canceled.
Tennis launched an independent review panel (IRP) last January
after widespread allegations of corruption in the sport. It will
take at least a year to complete its investigations.
(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by Alan Baldwin)
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