IRON MIKE IS IN HER CORNER

[clevfan]

Oct. 21, 2004



IRON MIKE IS IN HER CORNER

EX-CHAMP TYSON IS ON LAKIHA SPICER'S WITNESS LIST FOR HER TRIAL

By KITTY CAPARELLA

caparek@phillynews.com


HOW'S THIS for a character witness:

A person who bites off a fighter's ear.

Who chomps a chunk out of another boxer's leg.

He's convicted of raping an 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant and spends three years in prison.

He's convicted of beating up two motorists in a moment of "lethal road rage" and gets a year in jail.

He's squandered $300 million on legals fees, boxing fines, divorce settlements, expensive gifts, Bengal tigers and a tattoo covering half his face.

Then, last year, he filed for bankruptcy.

The character witness in question is none other than the infamous onetime multimillionaire world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, 38, (50 wins, 5 losses, 2 no contests, with 44 KOs.)

Tyson's boxer-crazed lover, Lakiha "KiKi" Spicer, 28, had him put on the defense witness list on Monday after a jury of six men and women were picked for her current fraud trial in U.S. District Court.

Spicer is on trial with her mother, Faridah Ali, 55, brother Azheem "Osh" Spicer, 30, and Eugene Weaver, 30, for allegedly defrauding $224,000 from an adult basic education program funded by Community College of Philadelphia.

Lakiha was allegedly the "other woman" in the Tyson's divorce, filed in 2002 on grounds of adultery, according to a source familiar with the breakup.

Tyson's second wife, Monica Turner Tyson, a pediatrician with two kids, who works at Georgetown Medical Center, said in her filing:

"The defendant committed adultery during the marriage, and such adultery has neither been forgiven nor condoned by the plaintiff."

Lakiha's mother, Faridah Ali, also known as Rita Spicer, initially denied her daughter's affair, then later admitted it to friends, said the source.

Since then, Lakiha and Mike have lived together in her Manhattan apartment - off and on, according to sources familiar with the two.

Last year, Iron Mike was vacuuming the rugs when the FBI paid Lakiha a visit in Manhattan to discuss the charges against her, a source said.

Tyson took off, and so did she - in different directions.

"He got scared, and left for a while," said the source.

Their relationship has since been rocky, which is why it was unusual for Tyson's name to appear on the witness list this week.

In fact, Tyson told friends he was never asked to testify, and wasn't happy when he found out, the source said.

Lakiha, however, cited their relationship on Monday as the reason she didn't need the $71,000 paid her by Community College between November 1999 and December 2001.

She told David Henry, a reporter for WPVI-TV, that she was dating Tyson at the time, didn't need the money and it was ridiculous for her to be charged in the scam.

The government alleged that the 71G was payment for being a "ghost teacher" at her mother's religious school while she was living in New York City.

Spicer was supposed to be teaching adult basic education at Sister Clara Muhammad School, at 4700 Wyalusing Ave.

Her stepfather, Muslim cleric Shamsud-din Ali, 66, headed the school and the Philadelphia Masjid. He was recently asked to step down and has refused to leave.

Shamsud-din Ali, a major figure in the ongoing public corruption probe, and his wife and five others were indicted on racketeering charges, including extortion kickbacks, frauds and income tax evasion on Sept. 29.

Wiretaps on the Alis' phones led to indictments of Mayor Street's ex-deputy mayor, ex-city treasurer, ex-chief of staff to a City Council member, bankers and others.

In 1999, Tyson's fight adviser, Shelly Finkel, said the boxer owed $20 million in debts to the IRS, and others.

Three years later, his ex-wife Monica was awarded $9 million, their two kids and property in a divorce settlement. This week, Finkel said he knew nothing about Tyson testifying at Lakiha's trial, and wasn't sure if he knew Lakiha.

Yesterday Lakiha's attorney, Tariq El-Shabazz, said he was not going to call Tyson as a witness.

As for the personal stuff, El-Shabazz said the family had no comment.

On July 31, Tyson was KO'd by a virtual

unknown English boxer, Danny Williams, for his fifth career

defeat.