New Details On Federal Investigation Into Vince McMahon Sex Trafficking Lawsuit

Wall Street Journal produces new findings on federal investigation into McMahon and WWE.

Vince McMahon
WWE

Content warning; discussion of alleged sexual assault

Vince McMahon is under federal investigation for sexual assault and sex trafficking.

The Wall Street Journal broke the news that an investigation is ongoing, "according to people familiar with the investigation, with those same people noting that "prosecutors in New York in recent months have been in contact with women who have accused McMahon of sexual conduct".

Advertisement

It was reported last summer that a search warrant had been executed for McMahon's phone, and subpoena's 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".

The report goes on to provide specific details of the scope of the investigation, noting that;

Advertisement
"The other women named in the grand jury subpoena include a WWE contractor whom McMahon allegedly sent unsolicited nude photos and sexually harassed; a former WWE wrestler who said McMahon coerced her into giving him oral sex; former WWE referee Rita Chatterton, who publicly accused McMahon of raping her; a spa manager who said McMahon assaulted her at a Southern California resort; and a former WWE employee who alleged the head of talent relations at the company at the time, John Laurinaitis, demoted her after she broke off an affair with him."

McMahon, WWE and John Laurinaitis were named in the sex trafficking lawsuit last week. The suit documents in lengthy detail allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by McMahon between 2019 and 2022, and that amidst promises of career advancement and gifts of varying financial nature she was allegedly exploited and trafficked to other men in WWE. John Laurinaitis is named in the suit as one of those men, as well as a wrestler listed as "WWE Superstar", later also named by Wall Street Journal sources as Brock Lesnar.

According to the latest WSJ report, Grant and at least four of the women named in the grand jury subpoena entered into settlement agreements with McMahon over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett