Report: WWE Founder Vince McMahon Under Federal Investigation for Sexual Misconduct | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Former WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon is reportedly under federal investigation because of the sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations levied against him.

According to Joe Palazzolo, Khadeeja Safdar and Ted Mann of the Wall Street Journal, federal authorities have been in contact "in recent months" with women who alleged they were victims of McMahon's sexual misconduct.

The news comes one week after former WWE staffer Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against McMahon, former company executive John Laurinaitis and WWE, in which she alleged that McMahon sexually abused her and trafficked her to other men within WWE.

Although McMahon has claimed innocence, he resigned last week from his position as executive chairman of TKO, which is the company formed by the WWE-UFC merger.

Per the Wall Street Journal, the investigation began in 2022, and last summer McMahon received a grand jury subpoena in which communications between McMahon and Grant, as well as other women were requested.

Federal agents also executed a search warrant for McMahon's phone this past summer.

McMahon reportedly paid $14.6 million to multiple women in exchange for their signing nondisclosure agreements that would prevent them from speaking publicly on their sexual relationships with McMahon, and in some cases, allegations of sexual misconduct.

As part of her lawsuit, Grant alleged that McMahon agreed to pay her $3 million if she signed an NDA, but he stopped payments after giving her only $1 million.

Grant alleged that after meeting McMahon in 2019, he gave her a job in WWE's legal department and subsequently forced her to engage in sex acts with him and others in the company.

Grant alleged that McMahon sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, as did Laurinaitis.

She also alleged in the lawsuit that McMahon sent sexually explicit videos of her to a wrestler during contract negotiations. The wrestler was not named, but they were referred to as both a WWE and UFC star, and the Wall Street Journal reported that she was referring to Brock Lesnar.

McMahon insisted last week in a statement that Grant's allegations against him are false, saying: "I intend to vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations, and look forward to clearing my name."