The allegations stem from the purchase of an Audemars Piguet watch from Gold and Beyond, a luxury resale boutique in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors allege that on December 31, 2024, Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check from a Wells Fargo account. 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. A lawyer 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 case privately and avoid pursuing criminal charges.
“The reason for the delay is that my guy trusted Mayweather and tried to give him every opportunity to fix it,” Cook said. “And it got to the point where he wasn’t getting answers and wasn’t getting money for a watch that Mayweather had for over a year.”
Cook added that his client tried several avenues to get the money back before finally filing a complaint with the Clark County District Attorney’s office in February.
If convicted, Mayweather could face significant penalties. Under Nevada law, the charge related to passing a check with intent to defraud carries a possible prison sentence of one to four years, while the felony theft charge carries a possible sentence of one to 20 years.
Neither Mayweather’s lawyer nor the Clark County District Attorney’s office immediately commented on the allegations, according to ESPN.
The 50-0 boxing legend will 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 go ahead 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 cases involving Mayweather. ESPN noted that the IRS has filed tax liens of more than $7.2 million related to unpaid taxes from 2018 and 2023. Mayweather is also involved in several civil disputes, including lawsuits he filed against Showtime and former business partners earlier this year 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.
