Tottenham owner Lewis pleads not guilty

British billionaire Joe Lewis pleaded not guilty to charges of insider trading in the United States.

Lewis, who is the majority owner of Tottenham, surrendered himself to US federal authorities in Manhattan, New York this week.

The Bahamas-based 86-year-old could face a maximum sentence of up to 20 years.

The lawyer representing him, David Zornow, stated: "Mr Lewis [is] an 86-year-old man of impeccable integrity and prodigious accomplishment. Mr Lewis has come to the US voluntarily to answer these ill-conceived charges, and we will defend him vigorously in court."

In a statement the US Securities and Exchange Commission said: "Today we charged investor Joseph C. Lewis for illegally tipping material nonpublic information to his then-girlfriend, Carolyn W. Carter, as well as his two private pilots, Patrick J. O'Connor and Bryan L. Waugh, so that each would use this information to execute trades."