Lakiha ‘KiKi’ Spicer Prison Sentence: Why Was Mike Tyson’s Wife Arrested in 2008?

"Stay away from her," were the cautionary words of Don King, the then-promoter of Mike Tyson , when a young Tyson asked about an 18-year-old Lakiha Spicer. But Tyson's stubborn nature refused to accept that. And thankfully so. Today, the couple has been together for 15 years and have two kids.

Since then, the Brooklyn native has often talked about the positive impact Kiki Spicer has had on him and his life. He has further acknowledged the fact that Spicer has helped transform him from a troubled individual to a family-oriented man. Together, they have weathered many storms, none perhaps more challenging than Spicer's imprisonment in 2008.

Who is Lakiha Spicer? What does she do? Lakiha Spicer was born on June 11, 1977, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is of African-American Muslim descent and her father was a boxing fanatic. That is how Spicer met Tyson during a boxing event.

Mike Tyson met his third wife in 1998 when Spicer was only 18 years old and Tyson was married to his second wife, Monica Turner. According to Spicer, "It was like moth to a flame" as the pair felt an instant attraction to each other. They met through Don King, who advised both of them to stay away from each other. After all, Lakiha Spicer was the daughter of Shamsud-din Ali, a prominent Muslim cleric in Philadelphia, and according to King, they were not the kind of "people to mess with".

However, the pair did not pay heed to the advice and started a relationship while Tyson was still married. After the divorce, the duo experienced an on-and-off relationship for a while, eventually tying the knot in 2009.

Spicer is an entrepreneur, and a writer, and operates her own clothing boutique. She has co-written 'The Undisputed Truth,' a one-man Broadway play based on Mike Tyson's life. The show premiered in 2012 was directed by Spike Lee and has received rave reviews from audiences.

However, Spicer has maintained a low profile since her imprisonment back in 2008. An incident that changed her and Tyson's life completely, but for the better.

Why was Lakiha 'Kiki' Spicer in prison? In 2008, the federal authorities sentenced 'Kiki' to six months in federal prison for fraud and conspiracy and was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution. She was linked to receiving payments worth $78,000 from her father's company for teaching classes in a local school. According to the reports and school records, Spicer never taught in those classes and was receiving false payments. Her father, mother, as well as her brother were all convicted in the case.

Just a week before her sentence began she found out that she was pregnant and told Tyson about it as soon as she was released later that year. At the time, Mike Tyson was battling a crippling drug addiction, and Kiki even contemplated her future with the boxer. During this time, their daughter Milan Tyson was born. Things got trickier as Tyson still had not developed real feelings for Spicer by that time.

But the tragic passing of his four-year-old daughter, Exodus, in 2009 allowed the Brooklyn native to understand Spicer and her feelings. The loss of his daughter left Tyson heartbroken and forced him to change his lifestyle. The unconditional love by Lakiha Spicer allowed the boxer to get out of the dark times and the couple eventually tied the knot in a private ceremony at the La Bella Wedding Chapel on June 9, 2009.

Since then, the couple has been together and has two kids now. Milan is 16 years old now and plays tennis while Morocco turned 13 in 2024. With their tumultuous pasts behind them, Tyson and Spicer now share a stable, loving family life.

What are your thoughts on Mike Tyson and Lakiha Spicer's relationship? How do you think their union has shaped Tyson as a person? Share your thoughts in the comments below!