Floyd Mayweather Lawsuit: $175M Fraud, Felony Charges, IRS Lien

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is involved in a Floyd Mayweather lawsuit docket that runs in several directions at once in 2026: he is the plaintiff in a $175 million fraud case in Manhattan and a $340 million fraud case in Los Angeles, and he is the defendant in a Nevada felony prosecution, a breach of contract suit from a boxing promoter, and an IRS tax lien for more than $7 million. Here is what each case is about and where it stands.

The $175 Million Fraud Suit Against Jona Rechnitz

In May 2026, Mayweather sued his former investment manager Jona Rechnitz in Manhattan state court, along with Ayal Frist of Frist Apex Ventures and New York attorney Alexander Seligson. The seven-count complaint alleges fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and unjust enrichment, and demands a full accounting of Mayweather’s finances.¹

Rechnitz became Mayweather’s investment manager, real estate adviser, and banking liaison in 2024, when Mayweather had formed a real estate firm called Vada Properties and entered several high-profile deals, including a reported $402 million contract to acquire a 1,000-unit affordable housing portfolio in Morningside Heights.² The suit alleges Rechnitz used that position to divert $175 million in cash, jewelry, and real estate proceeds.

Specific allegations in the complaint include:

Rechnitz told Mayweather he owned the entire 1,000-unit Black Spruce apartment portfolio, but documents attached to the complaint show a 5 percent stake in a single LLC.²
Roughly $15 million from an SL Green settlement was allegedly redirected to Frist Apex Ventures.¹
A $16.4 million Hankey Capital loan secured by four of Mayweather’s properties allegedly sent $8.8 million to Frist Apex, with only $2.5 million reaching Mayweather Promotions.³
A $7.5 million wire on July 1, 2024, was labeled a “12 month investment”; the suit alleges no investment was made and no money returned.¹
A $1 million deposit for a Midtown Manhattan property was allegedly diverted to pay a New York jeweler, causing the deal to collapse.¹
Roughly $100 million in Mayweather’s jewelry was allegedly pledged to two Miami dealers for only $13 million in financing, without authorization, with much of the jewelry still in the dealers’ possession.⁴
Rechnitz allegedly directed Mayweather to sign a bill of sale for his Gulfstream jet listing the price as “$1.00 & OVC,” with no accounting of the proceeds.²

Morris Missry, the attorney representing Rechnitz and Frist, has called the lawsuit “utterly baseless” and said the claims will be “refuted by substantial documentary evidence including Mr. Mayweather’s own correspondence.” Missry blamed the boxer’s financial losses on his “gambling issues, prolific spending habits, monies owed to third party creditors and IRS tax liens and levys,” and said “Mr. Mayweather will be the one paying significant damages to our clients.”⁵ As of late May 2026, no formal answer or counterclaim had been filed.

Rechnitz is not an unknown quantity. In 2016 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in an NYPD bribery scheme and later became what federal prosecutors described as “one of the single most important and prolific white collar cooperating witnesses in the recent history of the Southern District of New York.”⁶ A separate January 2025 civil complaint in Miami-Dade Circuit Court accused Frist and Rechnitz of a “coordinated and premeditated conspiracy” to defraud an art collector.⁷

The $340 Million Suit Against Showtime

Three months earlier, on February 3, 2026, Mayweather sued Showtime Networks and Stephen Espinoza, the former president of Showtime Sports, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The complaint seeks at least $340 million in compensatory damages, with the total potentially exceeding $680 million once additional damages are added.⁸

The suit alleges that Showtime and Espinoza aided and abetted a long-running fraud by Mayweather’s former manager Al Haymon. Under a verbal agreement dating to around 2004, Haymon managed the boxer’s finances and contracts for a 10 percent fee. Starting in 2013, when Mayweather moved from HBO to Showtime, Haymon allegedly began diverting earnings from major fights, including proceeds from the bouts against Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, into hidden bank accounts.⁹

The claims include aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, civil conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, and unjust enrichment. According to the complaint, Showtime executives knew Haymon controlled the secret accounts and “knowingly participated in a structure that kept Mayweather from directly receiving or overseeing his own earnings.” Accounting records allegedly contained “outsized deductions” and unexplained “reimbursements” that cut Mayweather’s payouts by tens of millions. The suit also claims Showtime still owes Mayweather $20 million from his 2015 fight against Andre Berto.¹⁰ Haymon himself is not a defendant, and Mayweather’s lawyers have not publicly explained why.⁸

Showtime removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on March 12, 2026, filed an answer, and brought a third-party complaint against Mayweather Promotions, LLC. A Paramount spokesperson said the claims “lack legal or factual merit,” and defendants have raised a statute of limitations defense against the 2015 claims.¹¹ The case is set for mediation by November 9, 2026, with a jury trial before Judge George H. Wu scheduled to begin February 23, 2027. On June 3, 2026, the Clerk of Court entered a default against Mayweather Promotions, LLC for failing to respond to Showtime’s third-party complaint.¹²

Felony Charges in Nevada Over a Bad Check

On April 27, 2026, the Clark County District Attorney’s office charged Mayweather with two felonies: theft with a value of $100,000 or greater, and drawing or passing a check with intent to defraud (value of $1,200 or greater).¹³

Prosecutors allege that on December 31, 2024, Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check to a Las Vegas boutique called Gold and Beyond to buy an Audemars Piguet watch, drawn on a Wells Fargo account that had insufficient funds. Mayweather’s attorney, Adrian Lobo, said there was “absolutely no intent to defraud” and argued the matter is a civil dispute over a long-standing business relationship.¹³

A preliminary hearing was held on June 15, 2026, and the next court appearance is set for September 17, 2026. A conviction on the felony theft charge carries one to 20 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines.¹⁴

Breach of Contract Suit From CSI Entertainment

On June 18, 2026, promoter CSI Entertainment sued Mayweather and Frist Apex Ventures for breach of contract in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. CSI says it paid Mayweather $4.65 million in advances for exclusive broadcasting rights to two planned exhibition bouts: one against Mike Tyson, and a professional rematch against Manny Pacquiao. Neither bout took place. CSI also alleges Mayweather breached an exclusivity clause by scheduling a June 27 exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis in Athens.¹⁵

CSI sought a temporary restraining order to block the Athens fight. A federal judge did not formally block the event, but DAZN removed the bout from its broadcast schedule and the exhibition appeared to have been canceled. Mayweather’s attorney, David Jonelis, sent CSI a letter on June 9 stating that Mayweather had terminated the contract and calling CSI’s actions an “unlawful attempt to prevent Mr. Mayweather from practicing his trade.”¹⁶

The $7.3 Million IRS Tax Lien

In March 2026, the IRS filed a federal tax lien of $7,279,664.45 against Mayweather with the Clark County recorder’s office in Las Vegas, covering unpaid taxes from 2018 and 2023.¹⁷ The IRS also notified Mayweather of its intent to revoke his passport over the debt, which reports say contributed to the cancellation of a planned exhibition against Mike Tyson in the Congo in April 2026.¹⁸

The Business Insider Defamation Suit Is Over

A $100 million defamation lawsuit Mayweather filed in May 2025 against Business Insider and reporter Daniel Geiger is no longer active. It was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice on May 4, 2026. The suit centered on a March 2025 report questioning Mayweather’s claims about a 62-building Manhattan real estate purchase. Both sides agreed to bear their own legal fees, and all counterclaims were dropped.¹⁹ The dismissal followed reporting that had shown Mayweather’s public claim to own the entire 1,000-unit portfolio outright did not match property records; his own Rechnitz complaint now attaches documents showing a 5 percent interest in a single LLC.²⁰

1
Courthouse News Service. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Accuses Ex-Manager of $175 Million Swindle
2
The Real Deal. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Sues Jona Rechnitz
3
Ring Magazine. Mayweather Files $175 Million Lawsuit Accusing Associates of Fraud
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NewsNation. Mayweather Sues Over $175 Million Scheme
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The Real Deal. Timeline of Floyd Mayweather’s Lawsuit Against Jona Rechnitz
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New York Post. De Blasio Donor Turned Informant Jona Rechnitz Sentenced to 10 Months
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ALM. Winer v. First Apex Ventures Complaint
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The New York Times / The Athletic. Floyd Mayweather Showtime Lawsuit
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TMZ. Floyd Mayweather Showtime Al Haymon Lawsuit
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ESPN. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Sues Showtime, Owed at Least $340M
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Los Angeles Times. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Sues Showtime Over Fraud Allegation
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CourtListener. Mayweather v. Showtime Networks Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-02671
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ESPN. Floyd Mayweather Facing Felony Charges for Passing Bad Check
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Los Angeles Times. Floyd Mayweather Faces Felony Charges for Passing Bad Check for Watch
15
Las Vegas Review-Journal. Floyd Mayweather Being Sued for Millions Tied to Planned Pacquiao, Tyson Bouts
16
Dan Rafael Substack. Mayweather on the Ropes as CSI Seeks Injunction
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Business Insider. IRS Seeks $7.3 Million From Floyd Mayweather
18
New York Post. Floyd Mayweather’s Mike Tyson Fight Has $7 Million Passport Mystery
19
Front Office Sports. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Calls Off $100M Legal Fight With Business Insider
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Business Insider. Floyd Mayweather Real Estate Investments