Exclusive: Expert Defence Lawyer Says Conor McGregor To Take Plea Deal

After the events that unfolded over the last 48 hours, it has become evident MMA fighter, one-time boxer and ultra-wild personality Conor McGregor's extreme behavior has finally landed him in hot water. In fact, he's being charged with a number of crimes and could see jail time as a result.

In the past, McGregor has always been protected by Dana White and the UFC and prior to this past Thursday, McGregor's antics had been seen as silly, even annoying by many who tolerated his actions because it drew eyeballs to the sport of mixed martial arts.

This time, McGregor is on his own, likely looking for some powerful legal advice to get him out of trouble.

McGregor was released on $50,000 bail Friday and will await a potential court hearing on June 14, 2018. In an exclusive conversation, The Sportster spoke with NYC lawyer Dmitriy Shakhnevich (known as "The Fight Lawyer"), via email, who runs The Law Firm of Dmitriy Shakhnevich in downtown Manhattan and asked what comes next for McGregor. Shakhnevich has been closely following the McGregor story and explained, "Conor is charged with several felonies. That means that the prosecution must impanel a Grand Jury and obtain an indictment against him. Otherwise, the felony charges cannot proceed."

To clarify what that means in lamens terms, McGregor has been charged with some serious felonies and the lawyers looking to prosecute him will be tasked with formally bringing charges against him and looking for a conviction that could result in jail time. The Grand Jury he speaks of is a group of 12 to 23 people that will investigate McGregor's criminal conduct. They'll be tasked with deciding if there is enough probable cause to support criminal charges.

With the number of witnesses and video footage that exists, it certainly appears it would be easy to bring forth charges. Shakhnevich then said, "once that happens and as the case progresses, the prosecution will have to turn over evidence to the defense attorneys in the case. At that point (and really throughout the duration of the case generally), plea negotiations will likely take place."

This is where Shakhnevich believes McGregor should try and get himself out of the real trouble he could be facing. Shakhnevich explained, "... it seems that he's [McGregor] charged with both the D and E felonies as it relates to Criminal Mischief. The E felony is 3rd-degree Criminal Mischief, and that's up to four years in NYS prison. The D felony is 2nd-degree Criminal Mischief, and that subjects him to up to seven years in NYS prison. He could also serve up to a year on each misdemeanor charge."

While that list of charges seems both long and serious, there is good news for McGregor. Shakhnevich said, "That being said, it’s highly unlikely (very highly unlikely) that he’ll see any jail time at all. He’ll likely take a plea and avoid jail time."

This won't get McGregor out of hot water completely. Taking a plea means likely pleading guilty to a lesser charge but the risk here is how it affects his immigration status. A poor plea deal means McGregor may be restricted from coming back to the US which could really hurt him and his fight career.

Shakhnevich said, "If Conor pleads guilty to something that leaves him with a criminal record or goes to trial and loses (particularly then), that can affect his ability to re-enter/stay in the US. Obviously, that's hugely important because Conor makes his fortune fighting for an American company, with most of its shows in the US. If Conor is going to plead guilty, as in any case with immigration consequences, his lawyers will need to pay strong attention to this."

Shakhnevich did add, "My gut tells me that Conor will be fine. He'll take a plea to a reduced charge, avoid jail time and his life will not be impacted in any substantive way." That may be the best news coming out of this drama with McGregor because it looks like Dana White is abandoning him and the fight world has finally gotten tired of watching him act like a thug.