Floyd Mayweather adopted the nickname “Money” in 2006. He has spent the two decades since making it the most ironic nickname in sports history. The man who built an entire personal brand around stacks of cash, luxury cars, and an undefeated record is currently staring down two criminal felony charges in Nevada. This explosive criminal case anchors a massive avalanche of financial distress: a $175 million fraud lawsuit against his own money manager, a $7.3 million IRS tax lien, a $1 million child support judgment, $32,850 in monthly child support going forward, active lawsuits over allegedly unpaid jewelry purchases, and a separate $340 million lawsuit against Showtime for allegedly misdirecting his fight earnings for a decade.
He is also planning a boxing comeback. That last part explains itself.
Two Felony Charges in Las Vegas
While Mayweather plays the victim in civil court regarding his lost millions, he is officially playing the defendant in criminal court. In June 2026, the Clark County District Attorney’s office hit Mayweather with two severe felony charges in Las Vegas: grand theft ($100,000 or greater) and drawing or passing a check with intent to defraud ($1,200 or greater).
According to criminal complaints obtained by ESPN, the charges stem from a late December 2024 transaction at Gold and Beyond, a high-end luxury resale store in Las Vegas.
Prosecutors allege that Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check through Wells Fargo to purchase a luxury Audemars Piguet watch despite knowing he “had insufficient money, property, or credit” in the account to cover the balance. Legal representation for the store noted that they delayed filing a complaint for well over a year because they trusted Mayweather and tried to give him every opportunity to make good on the debt, but were ultimately met with silence.
Mayweather was a no-show for his initial Clark County Court hearing on June 15, 2026, though his defense counsel appeared on his behalf. While the grand theft charge carries a theoretical sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the real-world implications are immediate, adding a heavy criminal anchor to an already sinking ship of civil debts. The case has been scheduled for a follow-up hearing in September 2026.
The Fraud Lawsuit: What Mayweather Alleges
In May 2026, Mayweather filed a lawsuit in New York state court against Jona Rechnitz, his former investment manager and real estate adviser, alleging that Rechnitz orchestrated a multi-year fraud scheme that diverted more than $175 million from Mayweather’s accounts, assets, and business dealings. Also named as defendants are Ayal Frist, who runs Frist Apex Ventures — a Florida-based real estate and investment firm where a significant portion of Mayweather’s money was allegedly sent without authorization — and Manhattan attorney Alexander Seligson, who allegedly handled the refinancing of one of Mayweather’s properties.
According to the lawsuit, Rechnitz built a relationship with Mayweather over several years to gain his trust before using his advisory role to move funds. The specific allegations include: a $7.5 million wire transfer tied to a 2024 investment agreement that never materialized; more than $15 million from a separate settlement rerouted at Rechnitz’s direction; portions of refinancing loans on Mayweather’s Las Vegas and other properties sent to Frist Apex without authorization — with court documents showing over $8.8 million of a $16.4 million loan on four properties diverted to Frist Apex; and approximately $100 million worth of Mayweather’s jewelry pledged to Miami jewelers as collateral, generating around $13 million in financing that Mayweather never properly received accounting for. The proceeds from the alleged sale of his 1996 Gulfstream IV private jet were diverted as well, with the sale paperwork reportedly failing to identify a purchaser.
Rechnitz responded to the allegations in a sit-down interview with Spencer Cornelia’s YouTube channel, contesting Mayweather’s characterization and presenting what he described as records connected to the disputed transactions. He has not filed a public legal response as of this writing.
Who Jona Rechnitz Actually Is
Rechnitz is not an unknown figure in legal circles, which makes the partnership more striking in retrospect. He previously pleaded guilty in a federal corruption case connected to the NYPD and political donations, becoming a key cooperating witness in the prosecution of Norman Seabrook, the former president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association. His prison sentence and restitution order were later overturned on appeal due to concerns about the presiding judge’s relationship with a figure tied to the case.
At an industry event last year, Mayweather publicly stated he trusted Rechnitz “100 percent.” He filed the lawsuit shortly after.
The Child Support Ruling
In March 2026, a Nevada judge ruled that Mayweather is the legal father of a four-year-old girl born to Paige Morehead, a former dancer at his Girl Collection strip club in Las Vegas. The case began in 2023 when Morehead filed a petition to establish paternity, alleging she had been involved in a long-term relationship with Mayweather spanning roughly eight years before the relationship ended when she became pregnant. Court filings also alleged that Morehead was subsequently terminated from her position at the club.
The court ordered Mayweather to submit to DNA testing. He failed to comply, resulting in a default judgment naming him the legal father. The court ordered $32,850 per month in ongoing child support, plus $933,050 in back payments — roughly $1 million total in arrears. Court records cited by TMZ indicate that approximately $151,000 had been paid toward the support order as of the ruling. As part of the judgment, the judge authorized Morehead to place a lien of up to $2 million on California properties tied to Mayweather to secure payment.
The Rest of the Legal Stack
The new felony check fraud charges, the civil fraud battle, and the child support ruling sit on top of an existing pile. The IRS filed a $7.3 million tax claim against Mayweather in March 2026 covering unpaid taxes from 2018 and 2023. Separate lawsuits allege unpaid luxury jewelry purchases and disputes over private jet services. He was also reportedly facing claims of unpaid rent at a luxury Manhattan apartment.
Simultaneously, Mayweather filed his own $340 million lawsuit against Showtime and former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, alleging they aided and abetted his former manager Al Haymon in misdirecting his fight earnings over more than a decade. The lawsuit alleges that when Mayweather’s new team requested documentation of fight revenues in 2024, they were told the records were “lost in a flood” or stored off-site and not accessible. Paramount, which owns Showtime, called the claims “baseless” and said it would respond through the court process. Mayweather also alleges Showtime still owes him $20 million from his 2015 fight against Andre Berto.
He resolved and dismissed a separate $100 million defamation lawsuit against Business Insider earlier this year.
Why the Boxing Comeback Makes Complete Sense Now
A rematch with Manny Pacquiao is reportedly scheduled for September 2026, though contract issues have complicated the timeline. An exhibition against Mike Tyson in the Congo was originally planned for April; Tyson broke his hand and the event was pushed to later this year. In the immediate term, he is locked in for an eight-round exhibition against kickboxer Mike Zambidis in Athens, Greece. All these events are expected to generate significant appearance fees.
The math is not subtle. A Netflix-level payout for a Tyson exhibition, combined with a Pacquiao gate, would cover a significant portion of what Mayweather is currently facing across the combined child support arrears, criminal restitution, the IRS lien, and smaller creditor disputes. The $175 million fraud claim against Rechnitz and the $340 million claim against Showtime are separate bets — civil litigation that could take years to resolve, and which may or may not produce recoverable funds even if Mayweather prevails.
Mayweather’s attorney Leo Jacobs told The Real Deal: “The gloves are off. This is a case to watch.” He said the legal team intends to recover every dollar allegedly owed.
The irony of “The Money” needing to fight to stay out of a jail cell and pay his bills is not subtle either. But the record still says 50-0, and for now, that number is still worth something to someone willing to put up the money to watch him use it.
Read more:
