EXCLUSIVE

Johnny Depp had no idea his former management team used his assets to secure $40 million worth of loans to cover up years of mishandling his money … according to new legal docs.

As we reported, Johnny is suing TMG, his ex-business managers, for fraud … and he says the damage was astronomical. In docs, Johnny says TMG started taking out the loans in 2006. The largest was $22 mil from City National Bank … and Depp says the real screwjob was using HIS properties as collateral.

Besides the loans, Depp says, in the suit, TMG played fast and loose with his cash … including the time they forgot to cancel the lease on a hospice home for his ailing mother. He says that cost him $350k.

One of Johnny’s neighbors might be thrilled with his managers though. In docs, he says TMG paid the neighbor $3,000 per month starting in April 2007 … to resolve a property dispute. Depp’s pissed they never lifted a finger to see if there was even a real issue, they just kept paying … to the tune of $320k.

According to the docs, Johnny only discovered there was a problem when TMG told him in 2015 he would have to unload a chunk of his French property just to “remain solvent.”

Depp’s suing to get back at least $25 million from TMG.