Ann Callis Says Criminal Investigation Into Vince McMahon Is Still Ongoing

While he has claimed "the case is closed", Vince McMahon remains under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York.

It was announced today by the United States Securities & Exchange Commission that Vince McMahon, while neither admitting nor denying the the SEC's findings, had agreed to a settlement in relation to violating the Securities Exchange Act. McMahon was fined $400,000 and agreed to reimburse $1.33 million to WWE.

In a statement about the settlement, Vince McMahon suggested that the case against him was closed and he could now "put all this" behind him, writing:

"The case is closed. Today ends nearly three years of investigation by different governmental agencies. There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. As today's resolution shows, much of that speculation was misguided and misleading.

"In the end, there was never anything more to this than minor accounting errors with regard to some personal payments that I made several years ago while I was CEO of WWE. I’m thrilled that I can now put all this behind me."

McMahon's statement suggested that federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York were no longer investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and sex trafficking against McMahon dating back to the 1980s. That is not the case, however, and McMahon is still under investigation, according to Janel Grant's attorney Ann Callis.

Callis issued the following statement to Cultaholic about the SEC announcement:

"During his time leading WWE, Vince McMahon acted as if rules did not apply to him, and now we have confirmation that he repeatedly broke the law to cover up his horrifying behavior, including human trafficking. The SEC's charges prove that the NDA Vince McMahon coerced Ms. Grant into signing violates the law, and therefore her case must be heard in court. While prosecutors for the Southern District of New York continue their criminal investigation, we look forward to bringing forward new evidence in our civil case about the sexual exploitation Ms. Grant endured at WWE by Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis."

McMahon has been under investigation by federal prosecutors since 2022.

Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis in January 2024 within which she accused McMahon of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse. WWE have been accused of attempting to cover up the allegations against McMahon, and John Laurinaitis has been accused of sexual assault.

Grant's lawsuit was paused from June until December 2024 following a request from the United States Department of Justice. After the lawsuit resumed, McMahon, WWE, and Laurinaitis filed new motions to compel arbitration.

Janel Grant is expected to file an amended lawsuit on January 15, 2025. Callis's statement today suggests they will be adding new evidence to the case.