Floyd Mayweather faces criminal charges in Las Vegas over a $200,000 check
LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the best-known boxers of recent decades, is facing two criminal charges in Nevada connected with the purchase of a luxury watch worth $200,000. According to court documents cited by AP, FOX5 Las Vegas and ESPN, the Clark County prosecution claims that Mayweather issued a check to the Gold and Beyond store in late December 2024 that was later returned unpaid. The case is being heard before the Las Vegas Justice Court, and the next hearing is scheduled for September 2026. Mayweather has not been found guilty, and the charges at this stage represent allegations by the prosecution that still need to be examined in court proceedings. His defense, according to a statement by his attorney to ESPN, rejects the claim that there was an intent to defraud.
What Mayweather is accused of
According to the Associated Press, Mayweather was charged in April 2026 with theft and with issuing and passing a check without sufficient funds with intent to defraud. The Clark County prosecution claims that the $200,000 check was written on an account at Wells Fargo Bank and intended for the Gold and Beyond store in Las Vegas. In the criminal complaint, as AP reports, it is alleged that there was not enough money, property or credit in the account to fully cover the check at the time it was supposed to be cashed. FOX5 Las Vegas, citing documents filed in Clark County, reported that the check was connected with a store at 376 W. Sahara Ave. In the same documents, according to that local outlet, it is stated that Mayweather in return received cash and/or goods in the stated value.
ESPN published additional details from the court file and stated that the invoice obtained by the newsroom relates to an Audemars Piguet watch purchased on December 25, 2024. According to the same report, the criminal complaint claims that the disputed check was issued on December 31, 2024, that is, several days after the purchase. Such a time difference is important for understanding the prosecution’s allegations, but in itself it does not prove criminal liability. In criminal cases of this type, the central question is not only whether the check was returned, but also whether the person had an intent to defraud when issuing the check. That very element, according to ESPN’s report, is one of the key parts of the charge.
First appearance without personal attendance
Mayweather was scheduled for a first appearance before the Las Vegas Justice Court on Monday, June 15, 2026, but he did not appear there in person. According to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, as reported by AP, he was represented at the hearing by an attorney. ESPN states that the appearance of his legal representative apparently satisfied an earlier court order requiring Mayweather to appear before a judge. FOX5 Las Vegas reported that the court, after finding probable cause for the proceedings to continue, issued a summons instead of an arrest warrant. Such a development means that the case continued through regular court proceedings, and not through immediate detention.
According to a document filed on April 27, 2026, by Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Thoman, as reported by FOX5 Las Vegas, the check had been deposited but was then returned unpaid. The filing, according to the same source, also states that a certified letter was sent to the name and address listed on the check, with notice of the returned check and a demand for payment. The prosecution claims that more than ten days passed after the letter was sent and that the amount was not paid in full. These allegations are important because in cases involving checks without sufficient funds, it is often also examined whether the person was given an opportunity to pay the debt afterward. The court file, according to available information, currently contains no publicly confirmed conviction or admission of guilt.
The defense claims there was no intent to defraud
Mayweather’s attorney Adrian Lobo told ESPN that her client had no intent to defraud Gold and Beyond. According to that statement, Mayweather had a long-standing business relationship with the store owner before and after the disputed transaction. The defense also claims that the store owner decided to take the matter to the district attorney’s office instead of trying to resolve the dispute through a civil lawsuit. Such a defense position focuses on the difference between a criminal offense and a business or property dispute, which could be important as the proceedings continue. The prosecution, on the other hand, according to available documents, claims that the circumstances of issuing and nonpayment of the check are sufficient for criminal prosecution.
Attorney Marc Cook, who according to ESPN represents Gold and Beyond, said that his client filed the report with the district attorney’s office in February 2026. Cook explained to ESPN that the store waited before initiating proceedings because, in his words, the owner tried to give Mayweather a chance to pay the debt. According to Cook’s interpretation, the situation escalated after the store did not receive responses or money for the watch which, he claims, Mayweather had for more than a year. Those claims, as well as the defense’s allegations, will be relevant only if they are accepted in court proceedings. Until then, the former boxing champion’s legal position must be viewed through the presumption of innocence.
Criminal framework in Nevada
According to ESPN, the official names of the charges relate to theft in the amount of $100,000 or more and to issuing or passing a check with intent to defraud in the amount of $1,200 or more. These amounts are not merely descriptive, but under Nevada law affect the level of the criminal offense and the possible sentencing range. According to the text of Nevada Revised Statutes 205.0835, theft in the amount of $100,000 or more is treated as a category B felony, with a possible prison sentence of one to 20 years and a fine of up to $15,000. According to NRS 205.130, issuing or passing a check without sufficient funds with intent to defraud, if the value of the instrument is $1,200 or more, is treated as a category D felony. ESPN states that for that second charge, the law may provide for a prison sentence of one to four years, a fine of up to $5,000 and restitution.
Those statutory ranges do not mean that such a sentence will be imposed if the proceedings end with a conviction. In the American criminal justice system, the outcome depends on evidence, possible plea agreements, decisions by the prosecution, the defense, judicial assessment and other procedural circumstances. It is also important that at this stage this is not proven guilt, but charges arising from a criminal complaint and court documents. The mere existence of an unpaid check does not necessarily automatically mean criminal liability, because the mental element, that is, intent, must also be established in the proceedings. That is precisely why the continuation of the proceedings in September will be important for clarifying whether the case will move toward evidentiary proceedings, a plea agreement or a different procedural resolution.
Mayweather’s sporting and public context
Mayweather, who is 49 years old, remains one of the most recognizable figures in world boxing. In its biographical overview, ESPN states that he ended his professional career with a record of 50 wins and no losses, with 27 knockouts, and that he fought his last professional match in 2017 against Conor McGregor. The Associated Press describes him as a former world champion in five weight classes, and also recalls that earlier in 2026 his return to competitive boxing was announced. According to AP, Mayweather was scheduled to appear in Athens on June 27, 2026, in an event called “Battle of the Legends”. The criminal case in Las Vegas therefore appears at a moment when his name is once again strongly present in sports and entertainment programming.
Public interest in this case has been additionally heightened by Mayweather’s long-standing image as an athlete associated with luxury, expensive watches, cars and large purses. Still, such a public image is not evidence in criminal proceedings and cannot replace judicial determination of the facts. Only the circumstances of the specific transaction, the documents regarding the check, the communication between the parties involved and the evidence that may eventually be presented by the prosecution and the defense are relevant. AP reports also state that Mayweather is simultaneously facing other legal disputes, including a lawsuit in New York over allegedly unpaid rent, financial disputes with several jewelers and his own lawsuit against a former business manager over alleged years-long fraud. Those disputes form a broader legal context, but they do not change the fact that the charges in Las Vegas must be viewed separately.
What follows in the proceedings
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 2026, according to information published by AP. Until then, the parties could continue exchanging filings, negotiate possible procedural resolutions or prepare arguments for further court proceedings. It has not been publicly confirmed whether Mayweather will have to appear personally at the next hearing or whether he will again be able to be represented by an attorney, which depends on the court’s decision and the stage of the proceedings. It is also not known whether the defense will seek dismissal of part of the charges, challenge the intent to defraud or try to present the matter as a civil-law dispute. For now, the most important confirmed fact is that the former boxing champion is facing serious criminal charges in Las Vegas, but that guilt has not been established.
The case will probably focus going forward on several questions: whether the check truly lacked sufficient funds at the relevant moment, what communication the store had with Mayweather after the check was returned, whether there was an intent to defraud and whether subsequent payment was attempted. The prosecution will have to prove the charges according to the standard that applies in criminal proceedings, while the defense is already emphasizing that there was no fraudulent intent. For Gold and Beyond, the case represents an attempt to collect the value of valuable luxury merchandise, and for Mayweather it represents a potentially serious criminal risk and new pressure on his public reputation. Until the next court stage is held, the available information remains limited to court documents, attorneys’ statements and reports by media outlets that reviewed the file.
Sources:
- Associated Press – report on criminal charges, first court appearance and the next hearing in the case (link)
- FOX5 Las Vegas / KVVU – local report on Clark County documents, the summons, the store address and allegations from the prosecution filing (link)
- ESPN – report on court documents, the Audemars Piguet watch, the official names of the charges and statements by attorneys for the parties involved (link)
- Justia / Nevada Revised Statutes 205.0835 – text of the statute on penalties for theft according to the value of property or services (link)
- Justia / Nevada Revised Statutes 205.130 – text of the statute on issuing a check or draft without sufficient funds or credit (link)
- ESPN – biographical overview of Mayweather’s boxing career, professional record and announced sporting appearances (link)