Jeremy Philip Charles Keith (born 1964) became chief executive of

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

after a corporation he controlled with two others bought the club out of receivership for £3 in 2003. He had previously been a director at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and had a financial role at

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

Early life

Keith was born in

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

when he was ten years old.

Financial irregularities

Keith was charged on 12 November 2007 with conspiracy to defraud and conceal criminal property after police investigations at

. In addition, former finance director Andrew Mackenzie and former director of football

Murdo Mackay Murdo John MacKay (August 8, 1916 – August 8, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. MacKay played 14 regular season games and 15 playoff games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canad ...

were charged with similar offences. In July 2009, Keith was convicted of

false accounting False accounting is a legal term for a type of fraud, considered a statutory offence in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. England and Wales This offence is created by section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 which provides: ...

and sentenced to 18 months in prison after being paid £125,000, as this payment was never approved by the club's

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. He was also disqualified from being a company director for three years. Following an appeal the sentences were reduced to nine months, with a two-year ban on being a director.

References

1964 births Living people Derby County F.C. directors English football chairmen and investors {{England-footy-bio-stub