The allegations stem from the purchase of an Audemars Piguet watch from Gold and Beyond, a Las Vegas-based luxury resale boutique.
Prosecutors allege that Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check from a Wells Fargo account on Dec. 31, 2024. The criminal complaint states that the account did not contain sufficient funds to cover the amount of the check.
The criminal complaint alleges Mayweather obtained the property while “knowing that the check would not be paid when presented.”
ESPN reported that prosecutors filed the initial complaint on April 27, with a court order following three days later requiring Mayweather to appear before a judge. An attorney representing Mayweather appeared on his behalf during a hearing on Monday.
Marc Cook, an attorney representing Gold and Beyond, told ESPN that his client initially hoped to resolve the matter privately and avoided pursuing criminal charges.
“The reason for the delay is that my guy trusted Mayweather and was trying to give him every opportunity to make good on that,” Cook said. “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.”
Cook added that his client attempted to pursue several avenues to recover the money before ultimately filing a complaint with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in February.
If convicted, Mayweather could face substantial penalties. Under Nevada law, the charge related to passing a check with intent to defraud carries a potential prison sentence of one to four years, while the felony theft charge carries a possible sentence ranging from one to 20 years.
Neither Mayweather’s attorney nor the Clark County District Attorney’s Office immediately commented on the allegations, according to ESPN.
The 50-0 boxing legend is scheduled to compete in an exhibition bout against former kickboxing star Mike Zambidis on June 27 in Athens, Greece. ESPN reported that a source close to Mayweather expects the event to proceed as planned and indicated that Mayweather still retains his passport despite separate tax-related issues involving the Internal Revenue Service.
The criminal case adds to a growing list of legal matters involving Mayweather. ESPN noted that the IRS has filed tax liens exceeding $7.2 million related to unpaid taxes from 2018 and 2023. Mayweather is also involved in several civil disputes, including lawsuits he filed earlier this year against Showtime and former business associates seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
Mayweather has not entered a plea in the Nevada case, and the allegations contained in the criminal complaint have yet to be tested in court.
Read the full article here