Floyd Mayweather, renowned for his boxing prowess, finds himself in legal hot water over financial issues.
The boxing icon is confronted with two felony charges in Nevada, stemming from allegations that he issued a bad check during the purchase of a $200,000 watch in Las Vegas, according to court documents.
The charges against the 49-year-old include “theft of property valued at $100,000 or more” and “issuing a check with intent to defraud, involving an amount of $1,200 or more.”
Although Mayweather’s court hearing was scheduled for Monday, he opted not to attend in person and was instead represented by his legal team.
The case began with a criminal complaint filed on August 27, prompting a court order requiring Mayweather’s appearance before a judge.
The complaint alleges Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check to the high-end Las Vegas resale store Gold and Beyond on Dec. 31, 2024, while he had “had insufficient money, property, or credit” in the account to pay it in full.
If found guilty of fraud, Mayweather could face up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Felony theft is a little more extreme, with up to 20 years in prison and $15,000 in fines.
“The reason for the delay is that my guy trusted Mayweather and was trying to give him every opportunity to make good on that,” Marc Cook, an attorney for Cook & Kelesis, which represents Gold and Beyond, told ESPN. “And it got to the point where he wasn’t getting responses and wasn’t getting money for a watch that Mayweather had for well over a year.”
The boxer earned over $1 billion in his boxing career but has faced financial issues since his ring days ended.
Plaintiffs in at least four states claim Mayweather owes them money; he reportedly owes $7.3 million in taxes to the IRS, and he is in a lawsuit with Showtime Networks for over $340 million.