Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is facing two felony charges after allegedly passing a bad check while buying a $200,000 watch in Las Vegas, according to Nevada court records.
The 49-year-old boxer is facing “theft, value $100,000 or greater” and “draw or pass check with intent to defraud, value $1,200 or greater.”
Boxer Floyd Mayweather and Jona Rechnitz Jr. sit court side during the first half of a Lakers and Nuggets game. AP
Mayweather’s court hearing took place on Monday, though he elected not to attend and was instead represented by his counsel.
The original criminal complaint was filed on Aug. 27 and was followed by a court order that Mayweather appear before a judge.
The complaint alleges Mayweather wrote a $200,000 check to the high-end Las Vegas resale store Gold and Beyond on Dec. 31, 2024, while he had “had insufficient money, property, or credit” in the account to pay it in full.
If found guilty of fraud, Mayweather could face up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Felony theft is a little more extreme, with up to 20 years in prison and $15,000 in fines.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game on March 26, 2025 in New York. AP Photo/Adam Hunger
“The reason for the delay is that my guy trusted Mayweather and was trying to give him every opportunity to make good on that,” Marc Cook, an attorney for Cook & Kelesis, which represents Gold and Beyond, told ESPN. “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.”
The boxer earned over $1 billion in his boxing career but has faced financial issues since his ring days ended.
Plaintiffs in at least four states claim Mayweather owes them money; he reportedly owes $7.3 million in taxes to the IRS, and he is in a lawsuit with Showtime Networks for over $340 million.
A $90-million civil lawsuit against Chris Brown collapsed into a mistrial this week after a juror allegedly violated court rules by searching the internet for case details and sharing the information with other jurors, forcing the trial to restart almost immediately after it began.
The case stems from a December 2020 incident at Brown’s Tarzana, California home, where former housekeeper Maria Avila claims she was violently attacked by the singer’s Caucasian shepherd dog, “Hades,” while taking out the trash.
Avila alleges she suffered serious physical injuries along with lasting emotional trauma.
Chris Brown performs onstage in 2022. Getty Images
The trial got underway on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court but quickly unraveled.
Judge Huey P. Cotton told the courtroom that one juror ignored clear instructions not to look up information about the case and then relayed what he found to others, contaminating the panel.
“Unfortunately, one of the jurors has violated my admonitions against searching the internet for information, and not only that, but he also shared it, and as a consequence, I have to declare a mistrial,” the judge said.
With the jury dismissed, attorneys were instructed to begin selecting a new panel from prospective jurors already waiting for assignment.
Brown attends Doo Wop Soul R&B in 2025. WireImage
Brown’s attorney requested a delay so he could travel to Las Vegas to see his newborn child.
He is expected to return to court Thursday morning.
The dog involved in the incident was later euthanized in Northern California around 12 days after the attack, after being found roaming in rural Humboldt County.
Chris Brown’s Caucasian shepherd “Hades” before he was euthanized in Humboldt County. Humboldt County Sheriffs Office
Authorities previously described the case as a “high-profile” attack and reported that the victim required 80 stitches to her face and arms.
Despite the mistrial, the lawsuit remains active.
Brown, who was present in court, responded briefly to TMZ when asked about the outcome, saying, “It happens.”
In May 2025, Brown was arrested in Manchester, England, over allegations he struck music producer Abe Diaw with a tequila bottle during a 2023 incident at a London nightclub.
Brown walks outside the Southwark Crown Court in London. REUTERS
He was charged with grievous bodily harm, released on bail, and later pleaded not guilty in June 2025.
The criminal trial is scheduled for October 2026.
Diaw also filed a $16 million civil lawsuit against Brown, which was later settled and dismissed in June 2025.
Separately, Brown has asked the court to exclude any reference to past domestic violence allegations made by ex-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
Bronx rapper Fat Joe saw something this weekend that he never thought he would see in his lifetime.
But those dreams came true Saturday night when the Knicks hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy after defeating the Spurs in five games for their first NBA championship in 53 years.
While Fat Joe is happy that the team he supported for most of his life is now on top of the basketball world, what stuck with him most was how the title brought New York together.
He pointed to a moment when he heard the city sing Jay-Z and Alecia Keys’ famous song “Empire State of Mind” after the Knicks finally brought home the crown with a 94-90 win in San Antonio.
“When you’ve seen thousands, maybe a million fans at one time singing that, man, it’s like a dream come true,” Fat Joe said on MS Now.
“The lesson is, you can’t buy a championship,” he said. “You can’t waltz, you can’t get lucky. You’ve got to earn your way to a championship. And it’s just like when we won, Mr. [James] Dolan gave that speech where he was like, ‘I’m sorry, New York, I was trying,’ you know, ‘I’m sorry it took so long to win this chip.’ That’s how hard it is to be a champion. You’ve got to beat the very, very best.”
The rapper also credited more than just the players for bringing home the trophy.
“But I want to thank everybody, man, for fighting hard — and the fans, man, we went out there. We went to Cleveland. We went to Atlanta. We went to San Antonio. I mean, by the thousands. There was so many New York fans all over,” Fat Joe said. “I like to think we willed them some way or another. We willed them. Like, whenever they had doubts, or whenever it was down, we was like, yeah, let’s go.
“These scenes in New York City will never get replaced.”
Fat Joe and Miles McBride of the Knicks celebrate after the game against the San Antonio Spurs on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center NBAE via Getty Images
If there is a stage that is too big for Erling Haaland, we’re yet to find it.
A hat-trick on his Champions League debut for RB Salzburg, a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut for Dortmund, a double on his Premier League debut for Manchester City, and now two goals on his World Cup finals debut, inspiring Norway to a 4-1 win over Iraq.
The 2026 World Cup might be six days in, but it felt as if it really began on Tuesday, with Kylian Mbappe inspiring France to a 3-1 victory over Senegal with two superb goals which made him Les Bleus’ all-time leading scorer.
Little over an hour later, Haaland strode out for his first World Cup appearance and picked up the gauntlet thrown by Mbappe, nearly 18 months his senior, with a display full of desire, as well as the goals we have come to expect.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken said afterwards: “You can see he lived up to the occasion – it wasn’t too big for him.
“I had a good feeling before the game, the last training session was very good. I had a feeling he would do it for us today.”
Iraq head coach Graham Arnold added: “He’s just an amazing number nine. We dealt with him quite well for a lot of the game [but] at the end of the day he’s a top striker.
“Norway could shock a lot of people with the team they have. They could go a very long way.”
Arnold spoke to Haaland after the final whistle and revealed: “I just said to him: ‘You’re one of the best number nines I’ve ever seen.’ He’s so strong, so quick and he’s just lethal.”
As Los Angeles grapples with budget problems, a new report warns that the city’s zoo may be heading toward a crisis of its own as membership withers and costs balloon.
A Los Angeles County civil grand jury has concluded that the Los Angeles Zoo cannot continue operating as it does today, finding that deteriorating facilities, declining membership, and financial strain have put the future of the city-run attraction in doubt.
The report paints a troubling picture of an institution that has fallen behind while being managed through a sprawling bureaucracy.
The report found that memberships fell 23% in less than a year. Shutterstock / Walter Cicchetti
Unlike most major zoos in the United States, the Los Angeles Zoo remains fully operated by the city, requiring oversight and involvement from the zoo commission, neighborhood councils, the city attorney, city controller, multiple city departments, the mayor, and the City Council.
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
California’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
Thanks for signing up!
The zoo, which spans 133 acres in Griffith Park and houses more than 1,600 animals, has struggled to maintain its facilities while the city faces ongoing financial pressures, including a $1 million budget shortfall this year.
Membership has also dropped sharply.
The report found that memberships fell from 36,914 in April 2025 to 28,440 in February 2026, a loss of 8,474 members, or 23%, in less than a year.
Los Angeles has reportedly allocated $34 million to the zoo, including $10 million dedicated to animal care. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“Simply stated, to keep these important educational institutions afloat, almost all zoos across the United States have turned to public-private partnerships,” the civil grand jury wrote.
The recommendation comes as the city remains locked in a legal dispute with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, or GLAZA, over a $50 million endowment.
For nearly five decades, GLAZA helped fund exhibits, conservation programs, capital improvements, educational initiatives, and community outreach efforts.
LA remains locked in a legal dispute with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, or GLAZA, over a $50 million endowment. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The grand jury described the organization’s support as a critical source of funding for the zoo.
That relationship has now collapsed.
“When that belief turned into litigation, our zoo’s future became imperiled,” the report stated. “Its relationship with GLAZA now lies in ruins, crashed on the rocky shore of a major lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
The zoo’s problems are increasingly visible to visitors.
Exhibits for lions, bears, sea lions, and pelicans have been shut down because of major renovation needs.
The panel is urging Los Angeles to transition toward a public-private partnership, arguing that the city can no longer shoulder the burden on its own. Shutterstock / Idealphotographer
Last year, Billy and Tina, the zoo’s final two elephants, were transferred to the Tulsa Zoo after decades of criticism from animal-rights advocates over living conditions and health concerns.
Federal regulators have also flagged maintenance issues, including rust and peeling paint in animal enclosures.
Previous inspections by the US Department of Agriculture and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums found a “critical lack of funding and staffing to address even the most basic repairs,” according to a November 2024 budget document cited in the report.
Despite those challenges, Los Angeles has reportedly allocated $34 million to the zoo, including $10 million dedicated to animal care.
The zoo has struggled to maintain its facilities while the city faces ongoing financial pressures. Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesHomeless around City Hall in downtown. David Buchan for Ca Post
However, the funding may not be enough to reverse the zoo’s trajectory.
To prevent further decline, the panel recommended that city leaders begin searching by next April for a new partner with experience in public-private zoo operations, warning that significant changes will be needed if the zoo is to remain viable for the future.
The warning arrives as Los Angeles faces broader questions about the health of many of its institutions.
A Chicago cross-burning presumed to be the work of a racist menace turned out to be an anti-Trump protest — and the birdbrain responsible for it insisted he had no idea what he was doing.
The towering cross was seen engulfed in flames in Grant Park on June 9, with horrified onlookers filming the vile sight that looked straight out of Jim Crow America — and left many fearful a hateful cretin was lurking in their midst.
Racist groups like the Ku Klux Klan — infamous for burning crosses to menace black people — and other white nationalists were immediately suspected of the burning, with the FBI even dispatching investigators to probe the apparent hate crime.
The burning cross was seen in Grant Park on June 9, leaving residents fearful of a violent racist in their midst. AP
A photo of the suspect was also quickly released, and appeared to show a shirtless Asian man running from the scene while covered in soot who officials spent days searching for.
But that man apparently emerged on Tuesday, revealing himself in an NBC 5 interview to be University of Illinois senior Merlin Lu, who insisted he was simply trying to protest President Trump — and that race was nowhere on his mind when he sparked ne of the nation’s most notorious hate images.
“My protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to with gender,” Lu told the outlet, explaining he wanted to protest “by myself” and the burning cross “just came to my head.”
“I did know about this historical relevance beforehand, but I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,” he said.
Merlin Lu, 21, told NBC 5 Chicago that he was the person who burned the cross — but that he was protesting Trump. NBC ChicagoBurning crosses are well know as one of the Ku Klux Klan’s preferred images in their hateful rituals and practices. Sygma via Getty Images
“In no way possible was that a hate crime. I understand why it was interpreted that way, and I apologize for that, but no, the intent was not there.”
Pressed by NBC 5 on how he made it through four years in college without realizing how hateful burning crosses were, Lu admitted the extent of his research was reading a Wikipedia page.
“I just saw the Wikipedia page with the movie with the, like, I think it’s called like ‘Under One Nation’ or something like that,” he said, misidentifying the infamous 1915 movie “Birth of a Nation,” which popularized much of the modern KKK’s imagery.
A shirtless Asian man was seen fleeing from the cross. Chicago Police Department
“I put a red hat to signify the MAGA hat, the Make America Great Again hat,” he told NBC 5. “So that was, yeah, that’s what I tied on top.
“I don’t want to wait till his term ends. I want him gone right now.”
The apparent outcome was a far cry from what many suspected — with some even blaming the president himself for the wild scene.
“I do think we’re living in a time when we have a president that stokes this kind of thing and invites this type of stuff,” SAID Gina Miranda Samuels of the Culture at the University of Chicago.
“People feel emboldened and are invited to see how far they can go.”
“The same kind of people got the same white supremacist mentality as a cross-burning,” said Frahnk Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “So, they figured, like, they got a license now.”
A suspect was arrested Tuesday in the cross-burning, though Chicago police have not confirmed whether or not it was Lu. It remains unclear if he would face hate crime charges.
The New York Sirens tied for the most players lost in expansion.
Then, they got cross-checked by the PWHL.
The Sirens didn’t know their draft pick in Wednesday’s top-heavy PWHL draft until Monday, when the league finally unveiled the order.
Surprisingly, New York is behind the four expansion teams and set to pick seventh, despite finishing with the league’s second-worst record.
There was no question the Vancouver Goldeneyes would pick No. 1 overall after the league changed its rules to discourage tanking.
In the previous two offseasons, New York earned the top draft pick after finishing last in the league. The Sirens used the picks on Sarah Fillier in 2024 and Kristýna Kaltounková in 2025.
This year, though, the PWHL introduced the Gold Plan Points, which gave the No. 1 pick to the team with the most points earned after being eliminated from the playoffs. Ultimately, that system awarded the Goldeneyes the top pick instead of the Seattle Torrent, which finished last.
After Vancouver, though, it was unclear who would pick when, as the league added four teams — Detroit; Hamilton, Ontario; Las Vegas; and San Jose — this season.
The PWHL ultimately decided to award the Torrent the No. 2 pick, followed by the four expansion teams. The Toronto Sceptres are set to pick eighth, after the Sirens.
The Sirens could use their first-round pick on a goalie after losing starter Kayle Osborne to San Jose in the expansion draft. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
There are believed to be five clear top prospects in this year’s draft.
Wisconsin star and 2026 Olympic tournament MVP Caroline Harvey is projected to go No. 1 overall, followed by fellow Olympic gold medalists Abbey Murphy, Laila Edwards, Kirsten Simms and Tessa Janecke (in no particular order).
None are expected to be available when the Sirens are on the clock.
The Sirens could use their first-round pick on a goalie after losing starter Kayle Osborne to San Jose in the expansion draft.
Andrea Brändli, who helped the Swiss win bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics, appears to be a top option if the Sirens choose that route.
That’s what Democrats told us, for years, about Donald Trump, every time they investigated him.
It’s rich to hear Newsom describe himself as a victim of politicized justice, a target of partisan investigators combing through “random” documents in search of a crime.
Did he speak up when Joe Biden’s agents went through Melania Trump’s underwear?
Gavin Newsom is not above the law. David Buchan for Ca Post
Did he protest when Rep. — now Sen. — Adam Schiff lied to the country about evidence of “collusion” with Russia?
Did he point out the absurdity of local prosecutors exceeding their authority to accuse Trump of federal crimes, or demanding excessive bail to bankrupt him?
Did he object when people whose only crime was to stroll across the Capitol lawn were treated like violent insurrectionists and hunted down by federal agents?
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
California’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.
Thanks for signing up!
Did Newsom stand up for parents who were treated like domestic terrorists when they spoke up at school board meetings?
Of course not.
Two wrongs don’t make a right. And if Donald Trump had indeed ordered federal agents to go after Newsom and his family and associates, the governor might have a point.
Anadolu via Getty Images
But the investigation into Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, began during the Biden administration.
And the new investigation into Newsom and “First Partner” Jennifer Siebel Newsom apparently began after local whistleblowers raised concerns.
Moreover, Trump was accused of fake crimes.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
We don’t know the details of the Newsom investigation, but what is already in the public domain — the shady “behest payments,” which drew a fine from a state ethics board this week — is bad enough to warrant a closer look.
Newsom is now demanding documents. He wants to know whose idea it was to prosecute him, and for what.
That is the sort of arrogance we have come to expect. Gavin Newsom is presumed innocent, but he should not be presumed to be a victim.
Nor is his wife. Siebel Newsom has inserted herself into a whole range of public issues and controversies. Her nonprofit organization has also accepted the “behest payments” Newsom sought from donors. She is not off limits for criticism and investigation. She is fair game.
The Newsoms were not “born to rule.” Accountability may be unfamiliar in the one-party state of California, but it is a real thing.
Newsom should welcome any investigation. Instead of pleading innocent, he is pleading politics.
Rapper Mystikal — best known for his 2000 hit “Shake Ya Ass” — has been sentenced to two decades behind bars over a 2022 rape case.
According to ABC affiliate WBRZ, the Louisiana hitmaker was handed down a 20-year sentence on Tuesday for third-degree rape.
Per the outlet, the rapper, whose given name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, responded in court Tuesday after the victim requested the maximum sentence.
Rapper Mystikal has been sentenced to two decades behind bars over a 2022 rape case. APThe rapper, whose given name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, has been held without bond at the Ascension Parish Jail since 2022. His mugshot is seen above. Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
“If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence,” he said.
The Grammy-nominated rapper pled guilty in March in an Ascension Parish, Louisiana court — though on Friday, ahead of the sentencing, Tyler’s attorney filed documents asking to withdraw the guilty plea.
Per WBRZ, the motion stated that the musician “did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences” of the plea deal prior to accepting it, which downgraded the charge from the intial charges of first-degree rape.
The Grammy-nominated hitmaker pled guilty in March in an Ascension Parish, Louisiana court. (He’s seen here in 2013.) Cindy OrdThe encounter left the victim with minor injuries, for which she was hospitalized. Getty Images for BET
Want more celebrity and pop culture news?
Start your day with Page Six Daily.
Thanks for signing up!
The filing — which was dismissed — insisted that Tyler, 55, was “under significant emotional distress and felt substantial pressure to make an immediate decision” when he agreed to the plea deal.
A rep for Tyler did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Tuesday evening.
Prosecutors in the case opted against pursuing additional charges, including false imprisonment, simple criminal damage, simple robber, and domestic abuse battery by strangulation and simple robbery, through a filing called as nolle prosequi, according to People.
“If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence,” he said to the victim in court Tuesday. / SplashNews.comThe musician “did not have sufficient opportunity to fully consider the consequences” of his plea deal prior to accepting it, which downgraded the charge from the intial charges of first-degree rape, per his counsel. Getty Images
The encounter, which took place in 2022, left the victim with minor injuries, for which she was hospitalized.
“According to Sheriff Bobby Webre, on July 30, at approximately 11:58 pm, deputies with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to an area hospital in reference to a sexual assault,” read a press release from the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office read at the time.
The rapper has been held without bond at the Ascension Parish Jail since 2022.
WASHINGTON — Billionaire Rick Jackson scored an upset victory in the Georgia governor’s race against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), who was endorsed by both Gov. Brian Kemp and President Trump in the highly competitive runoff race Tuesday.
Jackson won 53% of voters in the Peach State, while Jones won 47% when the race was called by the Associated Press at 9:45 pm ET.
The billionaire’s victory marks a rare endorsement defeat for Trump, who has enjoyed a near-perfect record in House, Senate, and governor’s GOP primary races this cycle, suffering his first setback in Iowa two weeks ago, when his pick Randy Feenstra lost to Zach Lahn.
The GOP kingpin successfully took down incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas). Cassidy was the first incumbent senator in over a decade to lose a primary.
In the Peach State, Trump and Kemp had been at odds in the Senate race, with the president backing Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and the governor supporting Derek Dooley. Ultimately, Collins won.
Jackson’s campaign spent a whopping $107 million in the primary race. Getty ImagesJones secured a last-minute endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp, who had previously committed to remaining neutral. Getty Images for The Coca Cola Company
Jackson had polled ahead of Jones in the crowded primary field that also included Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — but the lieutenant governor surged ahead in the May 19 election to finish in first place and lock in a runoff slot.
Jackson will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November for a chance at keeping Georgia under GOP control.
Heading into the runoff, Jones secured a last-minute endorsement from Kemp, who had previously committed to remaining neutral in the gubernatorial election, even after Trump endorsed the lieutenant governor.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones polled behind billionaire Rick Jackson in the crowded primary field — but surged ahead in the previous May 19 election. AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Kemp, in a statement, said Jones was “a strong, trusted ally” who “worked hard alongside me and my administration to return over $9 billion back to taxpayers, raise pay and retirement benefits for state law enforcement, and he never wavered when we took on the special interests to pass meaningful tort reform for the first time in twenty years.”
Jackson, who has spent a whopping $107 million in the primary race, had declined to attend a scheduled debate against Jones on June 2, giving the lieutenant governor an open forum to attack his opponent.
“If my opponent was here, if Jackson was here, I would just ask him very simply, you know, what is the deal with the Medicare fraud and the $750,000 in settlement money he paid the Department of Justice,” Jones said.
President Trump endorsed Jones in addition to Kemp, though the commander in chief and Georgia governor differed in their favored candidates for the Peach State Senate Republican primary runoff. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
“I would ask him about his campaign contributions to Stacey Abrams as well as Liz Cheney and Geoff Duncan, his association with organizations like Planned Parenthood. And last but not least, I would ask him about the question that tripped him up last time he was on stage. How many illegals do you have working in your company?” he asked.
Roughly $30 million of Jackson’s own fortune as a health care executive has been loaned to his campaign.
Voters will also be deciding which Senate Republican candidate will face Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) on Nov. 3. Getty Images
Trump had touted Jones as “a WARRIOR,” “successful Businessman” and “former SEC Championship-winning Georgia Bulldogs football player” in a Truth Social post announcing his support last August.
“Burt has proven he has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of his wonderful State and Nation,” the president said.
