Federal Government Investigation Into Vince McMahon Still Ongoing

Vince McMahon may spend the remainder of his seventies in and out of court. 

The former WWE owner was accused of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse by former WWE employee Janel Grant in a lawsuit that ultimately led to McMahon's resignation as TKO Executive Chairman after major brands began to suspend their sponsorship deals with WWE. 

Grant's lawsuit was the continuation of the hush money scandal that led to Vince McMahon's initial resignation as WWE CEO and Chairman in July 2022, with McMahon having allegedly paid at least $14.6 million to several women between 2006 and 2022 to suppress allegations of sexual misconduct and infidelity. A further $5 million was paid to the Donald Trump Foundation in connection with Trump's appearances on WWE TV in 2007 and 2009.

McMahon resigned in 2022 after federal prosecutors and the SEC opened investigations into the Trump and hush money payments as they were not listed as expenses within WWE's annual accounts. The former WWE CEO ultimately forced his way back into WWE by restructuring the company's board in January 2023 and proceeded to merge WWE with UFC under the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings. McMahon will not be able to force his way back into the company this time, however. 

Those federal investigations were still ongoing in July 2023 when McMahon was served with a grand jury subpoena and federal law enforcement executed a search warrant against him.

McMahon issued the following internal statement shortly after: "In 2022, WWE formed a special committee to review allegations of misconduct against me. That review was concluded in November 2022 following an extensive investigation. Throughout this experience, I have always denied any intentional wrongdoing and continue to do so. I am confident that the government's investigation will be resolved without any findings of wrongdoing. I am focused on completing the recovery process from my recent spinal surgery and on closing our transaction with Endeavor, which will create one of the preeminent global sports and entertainment brands." 

The special committee is currently under scrutiny, however, as it was claimed in Janel Grant's lawsuit that she wasn't contacted by the WWE Board despite expressing her willingness to cooperate with the investigation. WWE were named as a defendant in the lawsuit as Grant accused the company of attempting to cover up the allegations against McMahon. 

There has been little word about the United States Government investigations since the Summer of 2023 but CNN noted that Vince McMahon remains under investigation. The outlet also noted that McMahon "faces a hefty legal battle ahead."