The Floyd Follies continue.
He went from mere hot water–an inappropriate rant against Manny Pacquiao on Ustream on Sept. 2—to a boiling cauldron of woes one week later when he was busted by the authorities in Los Vegas, and charged with four felonies and four misdemeanors after an altercation with his ex, who is the mother of three of his children.
Today, we learned the specifics of the charges lodged against the unbeaten hitter, who was detained and then released from Clark County Detention Center last Friday.
He faces two felony counts of coercion, one felony robbery count, one grand larceny count and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and harassment.
The complaint states that he threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris, pulled her hair and threw her to the floor of her home during a visit to drop off cash for “tooth fairy” money for his daughter, which went horribly awry. The DA maintains Harris said he’d make her and her boyfriend, not named in the document, “disappear.”
It also says that the boxer threatened his two sons with a beating if they called 911 and/or left the residence. In addition, the state believes that he stole his ex’s cell phone.
TSS checked in with ace criminal defense attorney Keith Sullivan, who regularly makes appearances to hash out legal matters on MSNBC and Fox News. The New York based conselor says that allegations by spouses, or ex spouses or girlfriends or boyfriends, are looked at with a fine tooth comb by DAs. “In the end, it might be her word versus his,” Sullivan says. Prosecutors are aware that in a case like this, there may well be an inducement for the accuser to lodge a complaint, or play up an incident, so they can benefit financially, he says. “It can help in matters of custody and financially, too. Like Mel Gibson and his ex girlfriend, if she wants primary and not joint custody after his outburst, then maybe she was asking for $5 million and now asks for $15 million. Of course, violence against women is not condoned, if he did strike her or throw her to the floor. But the DA knows there is a lot of incentive for people to lie,” says Sullivan.
That the battery charge is “only” a misdemeanor charge indicates to Sullivan that there might well not be much in the way or physical evidence to bolster Josie Harris’ claims that the boxer battered her. If there cuts, or a broken bone, then of course it would be easier for her make the case that Mayweather hurt her.
Sullivan could see Mayweather’s legal team trying to work the case to a mere violation, in which he would pay a fine, capitulate earnestly to the order of protection Harris has filed, do anger management classes and some community service.
All the charges could add to more than 20 years in prison, but sorry Floyd haters…it’s not likely, in Sullivan’s mind, that the boxer will get chucked behind bars.
