Vince McMahon under federal investigation for sex trafficking, report says
Federal authorities are investigating sex-trafficking allegations against Vince McMahon, according to a new report.
The founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, resigned from his roles at parent company TKO last week, a day after a former WWE employee accused him of sexual misconduct.
In a 67-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Janel Grant alleged that she was required to maintain a sexual relationship with McMahon and submit to his “sexual demands” in return for employment at WWE.
Those demands involved alleged acts of “extreme cruelty and degradation,” which even included defecation “during a threesome.”
While the bombshell accusations were only made public after the filing of the lawsuit, New York prosecutors have been talking to women who have accused the embattled billionaire of sexual misconduct for months, sources familiar with the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
Last summer, federal against executed a search warrant for McMahon’s phone and served him a subpoena for any documents related to allegations of “rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment or discrimination” against WWE employees, according to the Journal.
The grand jury subpoena also sought communications between McMahon and women who accused him of sexual misconduct — including Grant.
In July 2022, the Journal reported McMahon had agreed to pay $12 million in hush money to four women to suppress sexual misconduct allegations.
McMahon, who resigned as a board member and executive chairman of TKO late last week, vehemently denied Grant’s allegations. He also said federal investigators will not find any wrongdoing, according to the Journal.
On Jan. 26, in a statement released less than 24 hours after news of the lawsuit broke, the sports entertainment mogul said the “baseless accusations” alleged in the complaint were “obscene made-up instances that never occurred.”
Vowing to “vigorously” defend himself against the accusations, McMahon said he looked forward to clearing his name.
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