Former WWE Owner Vince McMahon Allegedly Spending IDR 219 Billion In Silence Amidst Allegations Of Sexual Harassment
JAKARTA - Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) owner, Vince McMahon, is reported to have poured millions of dollars into 'unrecorded expenses' amid allegations of sexual harassment.
This report comes after McMahon announced his retirement on Saturday, July 23. The million-dollar bill is said to be an attempt to cover up some women who have experienced sexual violence.
WWE confirmed McMahon paid 12.15 million pounds, equivalent to IDR 219 billion. However, the expenditure was never recorded in their books.
The wrestling giant also confirmed in a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that several 'unlisted fees' did exist. To that end, they will revise their previous financial statements to reflect expenses.
"All payments underlying Unrecorded Expenditures have been or will be paid by Vince McMahon personally", WWE said in their filing with the SEC.
The company added, "has received, and may receive in the future, regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas or claims arising out of, relating to, or in connection with this matter".
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In filings with the SEC, they also acknowledged the investigation was likely to conclude that "internal controls over financial reporting were ineffective as a result of one or more material weaknesses".
According to a New York Post report, the money was a cover-up paid to several women who were allegedly sexually assaulted between 2006 and 2022. However, so far there has been no confirmation of how much the unrecorded fee was.
The Wall Street Journal revealed last month that the WWE board was investigating McMahon after receiving an anonymous tip via email. The contents of the email claimed the tips were to pay hush money to a former employee who had an affair with him.
In the email, the email sender admitted that he had employed the woman as a paralegal with a salary of 83 thousand pounds (IDR 1.5 billion). That number doubled after the affair started.
The Wall Street Journal later alleged that McMahon paid millions of dollars over at least 16 years to four different women.
McMahon retired from WWE creative control after the allegations surfaced, but it appears he remains a majority shareholder of the company. McMahon has passed control of the company to his daughter Stephanie McMahon.