Vince McMahon Fined $1.7M for Undisclosed Hush Money Payments

Ex-WWE CEO Vince McMahon was fined over $1.7 million by the SEC for undisclosed hush money payments to two women, concluding an investigation into his failure to disclose settlements that affected WWE’s financial statements.


Vince McMahon, the former WWE CEO, recently faced a hefty fine. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) slapped him with over $1.7 million in penalties. Why? Undisclosed hush money payments to two women during his WWE tenure.

The SEC dropped this bombshell on Friday. Quite the news day!

This fine wraps up an investigation that began amid allegations of McMahon’s relationships within WWE. The SEC uncovered two incidents, dating back to 2019 and 2022. McMahon signed settlement agreements without telling WWE about these payments.

One deal involved a $3 million payment to silence a former employee about her relationship with him. Another saw McMahon shell out $7.5 million to a former contractor to keep her allegations under wraps.

By keeping these payments secret, WWE’s net income was “overstated” in 2018 and 2021. Oops!

Thomas P. Smith Jr., Associate Regional Director in New York, had strong words: “Executives can’t hide material agreements from their companies.” Point taken.

Because of his actions, McMahon must pay a $400,000 civil penalty. Plus, another $1,330,915.90 to reimburse WWE as per his settlement terms.

These fines are just another chapter in McMahon’s saga of controversies. They contributed to his stepping down from WWE and TKO after the UFC merger in 2023.

Initially, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel praised McMahon as a business partner post-merger. But things took a turn.

Just four months later, McMahon resigned from TKO amid a lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse and trafficking. He denied it all but still left his role.

Post-resignation, McMahon started selling off large chunks of his TKO stock. The company wanted distance.

And now? This chapter closes with McMahon paying fines and reimbursing WWE for those undisclosed hush payments.

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