"Andre Agassi knew who this person was the moment he met" - American's sister Tami lays bare ordeal with 'manipulative' ex-husband amid $2.7M lawsuit

Andre Agassi's older sister Tami is facing the threat of bankruptcy after being caught up in one of her ex-husband Lobsang Dargey's fraudulent schemes. Tami revealed that while she and the rest of her family were deceived by Dargey's lies, the tennis legend had recognized his dubious intentions from the start.

In 2004, Tami Agassi tied the knot with Lobsang Dargey, a Tibetan refugee and former Buddhist monk. They have three children together, a 16-year-old daughter and nine-year-old twins. However, their family life was derailed in January 2017, when Dargey pleaded guilty to wire fraud and concealing material information from federal authorities.

Andre Agassi's sister filed for divorce from Dargey upon his release from prison in 2020, at his request to shield her and their children from the $24 million in restitution he was ordered to pay. This amount was to be given to the foreign investors he defrauded through his real estate ventures, as he had promised green cards through the U.S. government’s EB-5 Program while misusing their funds on ineligible businesses.

Tami was also embroiled in one of his fraudulent schemes, having co-signed a personal loan guarantee to open a luxury hotel in Seattle. However, since the deal fell through due to Lobsang Dargey's legal troubles, the hotel group IHG has filed a $2.7 million lawsuit against them.

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Tami Agassi explained that Lobsang Dargey had initially presented himself as an honest and trustworthy person, only to later reveal his "cunning and manipulative" nature.

"He painted himself as a very honest, honorable person. Hard working and highly intelligent, of the utmost moral character. That’s what he presented himself as. What he came to be was very different. Very cunning, calculated and manipulative," Andre Agassi's sister said.

The 55-year-old disclosed that Dargey pretended to be unaware of Andre Agassi's illustrious tennis career, even getting angry with her for not informing him about it sooner.

"He kept up the act for a while. And then he pretended he just discovered it, and acted mad at me that I didn’t tell him. He was very angry. At the time I thought he was a little bit uncomfortable and this was his way of approaching it. He portrayed himself as the immigrant who didn’t know very much," she added.

Tami also shared that, unlike the rest of their family, the eight-time Grand Slam champion had seen through Dargey's deceitful nature, but he chose to keep his concerns to himself.

"I learned after [everything that happened], Andre knew exactly who this person was the moment he met him. But didn’t want to say it out loud. The rest of my family wasn’t noticing that," she shared.

"Lobsang was very disappointed that he wasn’t able to create the relationship he would’ve loved with Andre Agassi, that upset him" - Tami Agassi

Andre Agassi (Source: Getty)

During the same interview, Andre Agassi's sister Tami revealed that her ex-husband Lobsang Dargey and her brother didn't spend much time in each other's company since she and Dargey resided in Seattle, while the former World No. 1 lives with his wife Steffi Graf and their children in Las Vegas.

Tami also shared that Dargey was disappointed and upset that his relationship with the eight-time Grand Slam champion was not as close as he had hoped.

"Andre didn’t have a lot of interactions [with Dargey] because I live in Seattle and Andre lives in Las Vegas. I think that Lobsang was very disappointed that he wasn’t able to create the type of relationship he would’ve loved to have with somebody like Andre. And that upset him," Andre Agassi's sister said.

Apart from the $2.7 million lawsuit, Tami also owes $3 million in back taxes for unrealized gains, disclosing that she expected to lose her house as a result. Despite her dire financial straits, the 55-year-old emphasized that she wouldn't rely on Andre Agassi to pay off the sum, admitting that she didn't want to continue being a "burden" on her brother.

"I’ve been living like this for years. I’m resigned to the fact that I’m likely going to lose my house. I owe over $3 million in back taxes for unrealized gains," she said. "I’ve been a burden enough to [Andre]. I shouldn’t continue being a burden. It’s not OK. I have to fight for myself."