After more than a year entangled with an alleged hush-payment scandal, WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon had a federal grand jury subpoena executed on him through federal law enforcement agents and a search warrant last month, according to a company disclosure. The filing made through the Securities and Exchange Commission is the latest chapter in the ongoing investigation into money McMahon allegedly paid to quash sexual harassment claims over the last several years.
The Wall Street Journal first broke the news last June that WWE had started an investigation on an alleged $3 million payment from McMahon following an alleged affair. The internal investigation into McMahon was completed late last year. The last reported amount of alleged hush-payment money given out by McMahon was around $12 million. McMahon originally resigned from the company after payments were brought to light last July, but returned to the company months later. “In 2022, WWE formed a special committee to review allegations of misconduct against me,” McMahon said in a statement. “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.”
