A jeweler sued Tyga, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and The Money Team for allegedly refusing to pay for luxury watches and jewelry. Leonard Sulaymanov accused the celebrities of RICO violations, fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and more, per court documents obtained by AllHipHop. The Miami New Times was the first to report on the lawsuit.
“Mayweather, TMT and possibly others have systematically created, participated and engaged in what can be described as a quasi-criminal, money laundering scheme involving high-end, rare and exclusive luxury watches and jewelry,” Sulaymanov’s lawyers claimed. “The Defendants, acting in concert and with other financially incentivized third parties, will purchase/acquire luxury watches by soliciting watch brokers, like Plaintiffs herein, and offering them upfront cash with payment terms in exchange for the purchase of watches and jewelry, with no intention of paying off the total balances.”
Sulaymanov’s issues with Mayweather stemmed from a series of meetings in 2021. The jeweler was introduced to Jona Rechnitz, an associate of Mayweather. Rechnitz allegedly arranged for Sulaymanov to present various high-end items to Mayweather in Miami. The boxer agreed to purchase multiple watches and other jewelry.
Mayweather allegedly racked up a $4,151,157 bill. Rechnitz paid an initial down payment of $90,000. Sulaymanov received an additional $177,000 before Mayweather left Miami to go to Las Vegas. Roughly two weeks later, Rechnitz summoned the jeweler to Las Vegas to meet with another client: Tyga. The rapper agreed to buy a Rolex for $79,000. No payments were made, but Sulaymanov was given a “false sense of security” because the defendants purchased more merchandise.
Sulaymanov grew concerned when days went by with no payments from the defendants. Rechnitz promised payment was coming, but the jeweler never received anything. Sulaymanov was allegedly owed $3,883,657. He pursued litigation after learning of similar cases against Mayweather and Rechnitz.
“Defendants … take possession of watches and jewelry, demanding formal paperwork, boxes and warranties, request repayment terms with upfront cash deposits, only to refuse to pay the full price for said items and in some instances, claim they never ‘purchased’ the item but rather it was ‘gifted’ to them because of their fame and status,” Sulaymanov’s lawyers noted. “Lawsuits around the country have been filed in recent years against said Defendants.”
Sulamaynov sought more than $4 million in damages. He requested compensatory damages for humiliation, embarrassment and mental anguish.