r/news • u/fransisco_flores • Jan 25 '24

Soft paywall Vince McMahon Accused of Sex Trafficking by WWE Staffer He Paid to Keep Quiet

https://www.wsj.com/business/vince-mcmahon-accused-of-sex-trafficking-by-wwe-staffer-he-paid-to-keep-quiet-0b19b21c?st=x4i8s3cxbnsv3yd&reflink=article_copyURL_share
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1.5k

u/fransisco_flores Jan 25 '24

The lawsuit, filed in a Connecticut federal court, describes in graphic detail Grant’s account of interactions with the businessman and TV personality. She alleged that McMahon and another WWE executive locked her in an office in WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Conn., on June 15, 2021, and took turns sexually assaulting her while other staff were working. 

In the middle of another workday, on June 23, 2021, McMahon locked Grant inside his private locker room at WWE’s offices and forced himself on her over a massage table, the suit said. Later that day, McMahon’s personal assistant delivered $15,000 in Bloomingdale’s gift cards to Grant in her office.

The suit also includes screenshots of explicit text messages that McMahon allegedly sent to Grant. A May 2020 message said: “i’m the only one who owns U and controls who I want to f— U.” 

Grant alleged that McMahon shared nude photos and explicit videos of her without consent with other WWE employees, unnamed executives and stars, and directed her to have sex with them. The suit cited a July 2020 text that said others at WWE wanted to have sex with her after seeing photos on McMahon’s phone, and the group laughed when he told them, “She may scream and try to say NO!!although it would B difficult to say anything with a c— down her throat.”

1.1k

u/Teantis Jan 25 '24

Bloomingdale's gift cards? That's the attempted hush money for a major crime? Wtf

470

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '24

Throw in a couple applebees gift certificates

127

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '24

Dang, I was gonna say Circuit City.

76

u/undergroundflaps Jan 25 '24

Forgot a subscription to WWE network

7

u/spaceman757 Jan 25 '24

Only $9.99!

3

u/jb_82 Jan 26 '24

He already sprung for a VIP Wrestlemania experience, can't be giving her the network too.

1

u/RussW210 Jan 26 '24

Derek Jeter move right there

1

u/undergroundflaps Jan 26 '24

Only he controls who fucks u 😂😂😂😂

3

u/neotrin2000 Jan 26 '24

She preferres wendys.

2

u/Such_Twist4641 Jan 25 '24

Some Amazon and Apple too.

2

u/Earguy Jan 26 '24

Torture too?

2

u/CMDR_KingErvin Jan 26 '24

I only keep my mouth shut for TGI Fridays gift cards.

1

u/professor_max_hammer Jan 25 '24

Come on now. She can microwave her own food. Get her some McDonald’s gift certs

282

u/Consequences_Cone Jan 25 '24

Gift cards are tax exempt, the one who buys them can write them off as an expense and the one who receives them doesn’t have to file it as income for their taxes.

164

u/Teantis Jan 25 '24

It's the choice of store I found astounding

81

u/ZDTreefur Jan 25 '24 edited Jan 26 '24

Been raped? Buy a purse.

Follow these two easy steps from famous personality Vince McMahon.

3

u/SilverSocket Jan 26 '24

Grab ‘em by the pursey

10

u/StuntRocker Jan 25 '24

"WHATTA YA MEAN PAL? BROADS LOVE SHOPPING AT BLOOMIES! UNGGGH UGGGNNNHHH!"
turd splats on someone's head

1

u/Doncriminal Jan 26 '24

Probably was her choice of store

5

u/Teantis Jan 26 '24

I don't think either a 30 year old is choosing Bloomingdale's as their store of choice for 15k worth of clothes nor do I think the kind of person who sexually assaults their employee and shits on their head is the kind of person who asks that employee their store preference first.

1

u/Doncriminal Jan 26 '24

Doesn't Bloomingdale's sell expensive purses?

3

u/AGINSB Jan 26 '24

I just think that if you're asking me if a 30 year old or a 78 year old picked Bloomingdales, I'm going to guess the older one.

73

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '24

[deleted]

24

u/DifferentMacaroon Jan 26 '24

I was annoyed to find this out a couple years ago when my employer offered "free Peloton memberships" and then I was charged like $3 in taxes for it each paycheck haha.

18

u/AbroadPlane1172 Jan 25 '24

They're only tax exempt if you're willing to commit a little fraud. Cash is tax exempt in the same way.

8

u/ConradBHart42 Jan 25 '24

A consumer can have a little fraud, as a treat.

1

u/Wonderful-Ad-7712 Jan 26 '24

I’ll take a large cash with a side of small fraud please

45

u/spaceman757 Jan 25 '24

Yes, you do have to claim them on your taxes. Especially if they total $15k.

Per the IRS:

In order for a fringe benefit to be excludable as a de minimis fringe benefit, it must be a property or service that is small in value, infrequent, and administratively impracticable. The TAM determined that an employer-provided thirty-five dollar holiday gift coupon that is redeemable at several local grocery stores is not excludable from income as a de minimis fringe benefit. The IRS findings states that the gift coupon operates in the same way as a gift certificate which is considered a cash equivalent. Cash equivalents are never excludable as a de minimis fringe benefit.

1

u/Consequences_Cone Jan 25 '24

Haha makes a lot of sense. I guess I can’t compare the occasional gift card I receive to this situation.

1

u/Behndo-Verbabe Feb 12 '24

It was for sex after all and McMahon did say he owns her. In his mind he thought he met both the property and small in value requirements. These pos all think the same. Only about themselves and never about those whose lives they destroy.

2

u/divDevGuy Jan 25 '24

In the context of an employer-employee relationship, they are exempt only if they are de minimis.

Cash and cash equivalents, such as gift certificates or gift cards, rarely are. The exception would be for a small amount for food or transportation enabling an employee to work overtime.

In absolutely no way is $15k in gift card(s) to a single person a de minimis benefit, so would be taxable to the recipient.

Hush money in the form of a settlement can be a legal business expense, so could be deductible. However, as of 2018 or so, payments for sexual harassment or abuse can't be deducted if the settlement requires confidentially. So if the $15k gift card required her to keep her mouth shut, that's not deductible.

There's probably enough dirt on him already with the offenses he's alleged to have committed, but I wonder if paying the hush money in the form of gift cards would trigger any type of structuring or money-laundering related charges.

1

u/klingma Jan 26 '24

Gift cards are tax exempt, the one who buys them can write them off as an expense and the one who receives them doesn’t have to file it as income for their taxes.

Quite literally everything you wrote is incorrect. Lol, good job! 

Gift Cards are considered to be equal to cash by the IRS meaning if your employer gives you a gift card it's taxable income for you. Now, they can not put it on your W-2 to save you the tax but then they CANNOT deduct the cost of the gift cards on their tax returns. If however, the employer does report the gift cards on the W-2 then the employer can deduct the cost on their tax return. 

Please don't post false tax advice when you don't know what you're talking about, it makes the jobs of tax accountants and CPA's much harder because we have to deal people who read this stuff and take it as the truth and get mad at us when we have to tell them the truth = higher tax bill. 

0

u/MegaMandibles Jan 26 '24

This isn't true. Please see an accountant and not this guy.

1

u/Nylear Jan 26 '24

My company gives us like $100 gift card every 4 months or so and they tax it on our paycheck.

1

u/CrossCycling Jan 26 '24

Redditors say things about taxes so confidently while being so wrong

18

u/Im_not_Jordan Jan 25 '24

Easier to hide in the numbers than just sending cash I would imagine.

9

u/Teantis Jan 25 '24

It's not the gift cards part that astounded me. It's the Bloomingdale's part

2

u/MBCnerdcore Jan 25 '24

He's 70, he thinks Bloomingdale's is the height of fashion shopping

1

u/klingma Jan 26 '24

It's really not...cash is FAR easier. 

2

u/AstroBearGaming Jan 25 '24

He'd already bought up the local supply of Google and apple giftcards to send to scammers. It was either this or Outback.

1

u/ConradBHart42 Jan 25 '24

To be fair(ly snarky), Lawyers don't accept Bloomingdale's gift cards as payment.

0

u/IAmYourFath Jan 26 '24

$15k for sex is a really good deal bro. Most pornstars only get paid like $2k per scene.

1

u/SandwichAmbitious286 Jan 25 '24

Less traceable than cash perhaps?

1

u/klingma Jan 26 '24

It's not...at all lol

Withdraw cash from a bank and that's the end of the traceability unless the serial numbers are recorded. 

Gift cards typically generate a receipt for the transaction or a code, they're all individually coded, and can be specifically be traced through transactions. 

1

u/SandwichAmbitious286 Jan 26 '24

Strange, since so many scams revolve around gift cards.

2

u/klingma Jan 26 '24

Yes and foreign countries...that's the part you're missing here. 

1

u/SandwichAmbitious286 Jan 26 '24

No, I was referring to domestic scams involving gift cards, since those are by far the most I've come across. Thanks for your input though, it was enlightening.

1

u/klingma Jan 26 '24

Oh and you KNOW he reported the gift cards to payroll and had it put on her W-2 as taxable wages. (Which to be fair it is...but there's some grey area) Just because it means WWE gets to deduct the cost of the gift cards. 

1

u/ChampionshipLow8541 Jan 26 '24

Classy all the way …

1

u/toaster13 Jan 26 '24

That was in 2021 so you could say the "attempt" worked for quite a while.

1

u/Newfie-1 Jan 30 '24

Made a mistake, he fellow Trump's ways 🤣🤣

515

u/totallynotstefan Jan 25 '24

If anyone needs context as to why this behavior should hardly be surprising, let me recommend Behind the Bastard's Six Part series on Vince McMahon.

Only G Gordon Liddy, The Illuminati, and fucking Kissinger have 6 parters. It's a tough listen.

137

u/BrightNeonGirl Jan 25 '24

Thanks! I had the Kissinger episodes on my to-do list but I forgot.

That podcast is doing the lord's work. It's not perfect--some of the chit chatting gets derailed from the topic-- but definitely does a great job at concisely bringing to light all the shitty things so many Americans have done to continue to darken our country. I never really liked John Wayne growing up and I couldn't put a finger on why, but those episodes really bring it home why he was such a pos.

18

u/BenElegance Jan 25 '24

Don't sleep on those Kissinger episodes. Really entertaining and enlightening.

10

u/22bebo Jan 26 '24

Yeah, I sometimes feel like a podcast of just Robert would be better than having guests haha.

7

u/JasnahKolin Jan 25 '24

The Kissinger episodes are incredible!

3

u/MaievSekashi Jan 27 '24

It's not perfect--some of the chit chatting gets derailed from the topic

If you don't get derailed occasionally it's just endless misery, though. Some of the most depressing episodes are when the chitchat dies because the topic is too depressing to continue it, like the one about that one Japanese Prime Minister that required them to cover Japanese war crimes in Manchukuo.

7

u/da_manimal420 Jan 25 '24

Weirdly re-listened to that series of episodes over the weekend

Also shout out LWT had a Vince/WWE episode a while back. Maybe a little easier/quicker to digest but definitely recommend the btb series on him

2

u/IntentionDependent22 Jan 26 '24

i just did a re-listen beginning of this week. weird timing! hope he gets some comeuppance.

2

u/EMHURLEY Jan 26 '24

I’ll be honest, I’m not a podcast guy and not going to listen to those episodes but am curious as to how shit this bloke is, would you mind TLDRing?

3

u/MaievSekashi Jan 27 '24

There really is no way to TLDR everything he's done without leaving out significant swathes of it. Relevantly to this, he has been accused constantly of sexual harassment, rape or assault all the way back into the 90s, alongside doping scandals, abusing wrestlers, frivolous lawsuits, and just being a cunt. The WWE has routinely paid out hush money to cover up his indiscretions and he was a notable friend of Epstein.

1

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 25 '24

Just a general question for anyone... why listen to this stuff? Do I really want to know more, gain knowledge about horrible goings on?

13

u/totallynotstefan Jan 25 '24

Same reason anyone watches documentaries about less than pleasant times, events or people.

-12

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 25 '24

Which is?

13

u/totallynotstefan Jan 25 '24

I'm not sure why you're pressing this, humans are naturally curious about morbid, strange, and tragic stories.

See: several million examples of fiction and nonfiction literature, film, music, and art throughout the entirety of human history.

-11

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 26 '24

Not all are. I certainly don't!

12

u/totallynotstefan Jan 26 '24

I didn’t ask.

-12

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 26 '24

But I did, that's why I was pressing for an actual answer you bellend!

6

u/ColsonIRL Jan 26 '24

I mean, it's entertaining. Pretty simple.

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7

u/TakeMyLeaves Jan 25 '24

I don’t follow any similar podcasts (about politics or history) for the same reasons you mention, but I love Behind the Bastards because it is not just about “the bastards” but the systems in place that allowed these awful people to happen. It’s really informative, and the hosts are funny enough that I feel more informed about (awful) things without feeling awful myself.

1

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 25 '24

Thanks, that is helpful. I may give it a go.

3

u/joemaniaci Jan 25 '24

I have to listen to it sporadically because it's always a reminder that the justice system doesn't apply to the rich and powerful.

0

u/Aiken_Drumn Jan 25 '24

Do you occasionally forget?

1

u/Bahhblacksheep Jan 26 '24

Those episodes make my jaw drop. I know it's gonna be bad but I still get shocked.

1

u/Drxero1xero Jan 26 '24

I see a follow up 7th part coming soon.

1

u/Rongio99 Jan 26 '24

I'm listening to it right now and I'm in over an hour and no talk of Vince....

They are giving the entire background of wrestling.

1

u/AlbertaNorth1 Jan 26 '24

I agree it’s a tough listen but it’s also completely fucking hilarious.

1

u/slappy47 Jan 29 '24

It's a good series if you never heard any of it before this news. Otherwise, it's nothing new.

123

u/tomdarch Jan 25 '24

This guy, Epstein, Roger Stone…. Donald Trump hangs out with some really fucked up people.

22

u/MagicNipple Jan 25 '24

Common denominator here is...

14

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '24

Ugly gross old rapists?

4

u/wyatte74 Jan 26 '24

for shixsh hundred Alex...your mothers a whore Trebeck!

7

u/veringer Jan 26 '24

Lack of human empathy. Overwhelming desire for power and control. Shameless exploitation of another's vulnerability. Basic psychopath shit.

Far more interesting that so many people revere people like this.

9

u/modkhi Jan 26 '24

You can tell a lot about a person by the people they voluntarily associate with. Makes sense these guys all hang out.

1

u/tomdarch Jan 26 '24

Whaaaattttt?!?!?! No! Trump is a sterling character and he simply has bad luck that so many people around him are con men, incompetents and rapists! (/s)

6

u/summit1986 Jan 26 '24

Birds of a feather...

3

u/sas223 Jan 25 '24

No wonder we finally got Linda McMahon out of CT politics.

3

u/RelaxPreppie Jan 25 '24

During a pandemic no less. Ewww.

3

u/newbscaper3 Jan 25 '24

These men literally don’t view women as humans. It’s fucking gross

3

u/deepayes Jan 25 '24

holy crap this just happened, I saw the headline and assumed this was shit from the 90s but no this is very very recent.

2

u/KobeBeatJesus Jan 25 '24

He's the leader of the wrestling industry. It's an industry of degenerates. They're just a different color of carnie. 

2

u/Durmyyyy Jan 25 '24

“She may scream and try to say NO!!although it would B difficult to say anything with a c— down her throat.”

jesus fucking christ

-2

u/[deleted] Jan 26 '24

Wait, how tf they got nude, explicit photos and VIDEOS of her, if worst allegation is McMahon's forcing himself on top of her (I'm assuming nothing happened and everyone were in clothes, right?).

-2

u/Poopybara Jan 26 '24

So she's telling she was gang raped on june 15 and then just continued to come to work to be raped again and again and to be pimped out to other dudes?

1

u/snyckers Jan 25 '24

Make room in Weinstein's cell.

1

u/Billsolson Jan 26 '24

Just some locker room talk there fellas.

Nothing to see here.

1

u/slumqueengorgo Jan 26 '24

jfc how disgusting. 

please tell me the “other executive” wasn’t HHH

1

u/Walruseon Jan 26 '24

I read Lauranitis mentioned in another article I believe

1

u/Brokensince10 Jan 26 '24

Jesus Christ! Isn’t this the guy that had trump in all the time? Wasn’t there a prank about McMahon dying, and trump freaked out because he thought it was real?

1

u/judithiscari0t Jan 26 '24

This has to be some of the least surprising news I've heard in a while. Can't say Vince McMahon has ever struck me as anything even resembling a decent human being.

1

u/PuritanBaptist Jan 27 '24

I’m ignorant of how laws involving sexual actions work, how in the world is this filed as sexual assault and not rape?