Former Microsoft CEO and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer publicly denounced the founder of Aspiration Partners after Joseph Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, claiming the fintech venture had duped him and cost him $60 million. In 2021, Aspiration Partners announced plans to go public through a SPAC merger valued at $2.3 billion, a deal that never materialized. The company marketed itself as a green fintech, offering sustainable banking services that avoided fossil fuels and pledged to plant trees with every card purchase. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Sanberg fabricated financial statements to secure $145 million in loans and misrepresented the firm's liquidity, claiming $250 million in cash and equivalents when the actual balance was less than $1 million. Each wire-fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Ballmer's letter to the judge, shared on X, stated, "I was duped and feel silly about that." His lawyers described the fallout as "misapprehension or intentional disregard of the facts," and noted that the NBA is investigating related salary-cap allegations.