Federal authorities are in contact with women regarding recent sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations against Vince McMahon.
This latest news, first reported by the WSJ today, comes after a shocking lawsuit by a former employee last week saw the longtime impresario resign as executive chairman of WWE parent TKO Group and step down from the company’s board.
This builds on the probe authorities have been conducting against McMahon since 2022. Individuals with knowledge of the situation confirmed the latest turn in the investigation to Deadline this morning.
In 2022, the now Endeavor-owned WWE launched its own internal investigation McMahon’s hush money payments to women over the years but closed the probe with him agreeing to pay the company $17 million toe reimburse the costs of the probe.
However, WWE acknowledged in an SEC filing last August that “related government investigations remain ongoing” and that law enforcement agents had executed a search warrant and served a federal grand jury subpoena on McMahon over the summer – a probe that is continuing amidst the latest allegations. The explicit lawsuit by former WWE employee Janel Grant claims she was frequently and relentlessly abused and assaulted by McMahon from 2019 to 2022. Grant additionally says she was trafficked across state lines to other WWE executives and even one unnamed “WWE Superstar” for sexual purposes.
Grant says McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million in 2022 to keep their allegedly violent and degrading sexual relationship quiet if she signed an NDA. She did, but says in the suit she only received $1 million from McMahon. In her suit, Grant is seeking to have the NDA invalidated, among other recourses.
In their report, the WSJ specified in August that federal agents executed a search warrant for McMahon’s phone and delivered a subpoena to him for documents related to any allegation of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination” against current or former WWE employees.
McMahon said then that’s he’s “confident” the government’s investigation will not find wrongdoing. For their part, WWE said then, “We believe this is a continuation of the investigation that commenced last summer. WWE has cooperated throughout and fully understands and respects the government’s need for a complete process.”
Representatives for McMahon did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on this latest news. If and when they do, this post will be updated.
Asked for comment today about the federal probe, a TKO rep shared McMahon’s statement from last week:
“I stand by my prior statement that Ms. Grant’s lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth,” McMahon said this evening of the scorching lawsuit against him filed earlier this week. “I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name.”
“However, out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately,” the WWE co-founder added.