Iyanna “Yaya” Mayweather, the daughter of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr., was arrested on April 4, and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The 19-year-old allegedly stabbed another woman during an altercation at the Houston home of her fiancée NBA Youngboy. Yaya was released on bail the same day she was arrested but she could end up back in jail said two top criminal attorneys.
Criminal defense attorney Temani Adams, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that the punishment for the crime Yaya committed could run all the way up to 20 years in jail, but “more than likely” she will walk away with a lot less. “[She is] charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second degree felony in Texas. A person charged with this crime faces between 2 to 20 years in prison, along with a fine up to $10,000. However, in certain situations, the person is eligible for probation.”
“The complaint filed by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, alleges that Iyanna cut Lapattra Jacobs with a knife. If this is Iyanna’s first offense, more than likely she will be placed on probation. Depending on the facts and the evidence, the charge could be lowered. For example, if the evidence suggests that Iyanna acted in self-defense, she could go to trial, and raise the theory of self-defense and be found not guilty, or convicted of a lower charge. If Iyanna doesn’t want to go to trial, and there is evidence of self-defense, her attorney could negotiate for a lower charge, and have her placed on probation.”
Although there have been reports that Yaya is facing 99 years in prison, criminal defense attorney Sharen H. Ghatan. Esq. told HL that just isn’t the case. “Iyanna wrongfully attempted to injure this other woman with the knife, categorized as a deadly weapon, and caused great bodily injury. She will likely face a state prison term but she will not be facing anywhere near 99 years. What seems more reasonable is that she will likely be exposed to somewhere between 2, 3 or 4 years. After all, no one has been killed, the victim is in stable condition and is very probably going to make a complete recovery. Thus, it seems likely Iyanna will be facing some state prison, potentially county jail or in the best scenario; get off on probation only, assuming there’s no past criminal history.”
And, according to Sharen, the current COVID-19 pandemic could also be used as part of Yaya’s defense. “Domestic violence, assault and other crimes of violence have drastically increased throughout this Corona quarantine period. Google searches have been spiked up by 75%, and Violence Hotlines state that 1 in 4 woman and 1 in 7 men can become victims of violence.
“Due to this unprecedented pandemic, tensions are high, personal relations are strained, and patience is at an all time low…Since this has occurred during the COVID-19 crisis, a clever criminal attorney can argue all points regarding Iyanna’s potential compromised mental state due to this extreme health pandemic. This Corona climate can lead to making compromised life decisions, ones that are entirely out of character. Sadly, Iyanna made a devastating judgement call when she got violent with this other woman, as this a serious offense which will undoubtedly affect the rest of her life.”
Yaya’s victim could also play a part in determining her sentence, according to Temani. The Texas based lawyer told HL: “One thing that prosecutors consider in these cases, is what the victim wants,” Temani told HL, “and what damage the victim has suffered. If Lapattra tells the prosecutors that all she wants is to have her medical bills paid, or that she does not want to come to court to testify, Iyanna will definitely walk away from this with with no jail time.”