Ex-WWE CEO Vincent McMahon Won’t Be Charged In Second Criminal Probe As Wife Linda McMahon Is Nominated By Trump As Education Secretary

On Wednesday, Vince McMahon’s lawyer’s office confirmed that the former World Wrestling Entertainment boss is no longer being probed for covering up multiple sexual assault allegations.

The federal prosecutors dropped the criminal probe just one day before McMahon’s estranged wife Linda’s confirmation hearing to become Donald Trump’s secretary of education. 

In a statement, McMahon’s attorney Robert W. Allen declared, “We have been in consistent communication with the government and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitely concluded and will not result in charges.”

This decision was despite Judge Valerie Caproni’s June 2024 ruling that there was evidence McMahon and his lawyer “circumvented [the Company’s] internal controls and created false books and records,” “concealed the Victims’ claims and settlement agreements from [the Company],” and “made false and misleading statements to the Company’s auditors.”

McMahon has been accused of sexual assault multiple times over the last few decades. A former wrestling referee alleged that he raped her in a limousine in 1992 after she refused to perform oral sex on it. Another wrestler confirmed the event in 2022, but McMahon has continued to vehemently deny the allegation. The case was settled outside of court.

In 2006, another woman alleged that McMahon had groped her, tried to kiss her, and forced her to look at naked photos of himself while they were in a tanning salon in Florida. Authorities who responded to the incident reported “probable cause” to believe that the woman had indeed been touched against her will. However, McMahon ultimately did not face any consequences.

In 2022, McMahon was faced with new accusations of sexual assault, in addition to the reveal of cover-up payments. He was pressured into resigning as WWE’s CEO but returned a few months later, only to leave again after a new allegation surfaced. Most recently, a former employee of the WWE’s legal and talent department accused McMahon of forcing her into a sexual relationship and threatening to fire her if she didn’t obey him.

Investigators had previously informed they had “established probable cause” to think that McMahon and an ex-lawyer of his had broken the law through “false and misleading statements” to company auditors and forging “false books” intended to skirt around WWE’s established protocol.

Last month, McMahon paid over $1.7 million in fines as he failed to disclose sexual assault-related allegations and settlements to the wrestling company’s board. McMahon’s payments of $3 million to a WWE employee and $7.5 million to an independent contractor were both intended to prevent the women from filing sexual assault charges against him but instead caused errors in the WWE’s 2018 and 2021 financial statements.

This marks the second time that McMahon has not been convicted of crimes following a federal law enforcement probe.

Historically a staunch advocate for Trump, McMahon and Linda donated a total of $9 million to the Trump Foundation in 2007 and 2009.