Richard Williams, who coached his tennis superstar daughters and is the subject of a Hollywood biopic starring Will Smith, is in declining health, enmeshed in a messy divorce and being cared for by a son with a criminal past.
The son, Chavoita Lesane, 48, has been involved in dozens of criminal proceedings over the last 23 years, according to public records and a report in The Sun newspaper.
Lesane has power of attorney over Williams, 79, who is going through a protracted divorce from his wife Lakeisha, 41. The proceedings began in 2017. The couple married in 2010 and have a young son, Dylan, born in 2012.
In 2014, Williams penned the autobiography “Black and White: The Way I See It” which details how he coached his daughters Venus and Serena Williams to become tennis superstars.
Williams, whose health has been in decline since suffering a stroke in 2016, has increasingly relied on his son, who now lives in Atlanta, according to his Facebook page. Lesane’s Instagram account features recent photographs of Williams, who appears frail. Williams also suffers from a neurological disorder that affects his ability to speak.
In addition to multiple traffic infractions, Lesane has been charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman in 1998 although the case was later dropped, according to Florida court records.
He was charged with battery in 2001, and entered a not guilty plea. He was sentenced to four years probation for driving with a suspended license in 2007.
Lesane could not be reached for comment.
