 There he was convicted and imprisoned for separate felony assaults committed in 1977 against his then wife, Joyce Maaga Mokone, and the 34-year-old female attorney who was representing Ms. Mokone in divorce and custody proceedings at the time.On 31 October 1978, Mokone pleaded guilty in Superior Court of Middlesex County New Jersey to the crime of atrocious assault for having personally attacked his wife with lye on 20 November 1977.He was subsequently sentenced to serve between 8 and 12 years in New Jersey State Prison.