Federal authorities reportedly have dropped a criminal investigation into whether former World Wrestling Entertainment boss Vince McMahon tried to cover up multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
On Monday, the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court ruling that said a former lawyer for McMahon was wrong to withhold some documents from a federal grand jury as it investigated how the former WWE boss handled multimillion-dollar settlement agreements with two female employees who accused him of sexual abuse.
However, the New York Post reported Wednesday that the criminal probe had been dropped, according to McMahon's attorney, Robert W. Allen.
"This is simply the result of an appeal of a procedural matter that was argued five months ago," Allen told the Post. "We have been in consistent communication with the government since that time and understand, with no ambiguity, that the investigation has definitively concluded and will not result in charges."
Although McMahon, 78, is the husband of President Donald Trump's Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon, the Post reported the prosecutors decided to drop the case at some point between Sept. 18 and Jan. 10, when the Securities and Exchange Commission, in the final days of the Biden administration, announced that it had reached a settlement with McMahon to resolve the cover-up claims.
The SEC said McMahon failed to properly inform the WWE board, as well as the company's accountants, legal department, and auditor about millions of company dollars paid of $10.5 million to settle sexual misconduct claims made by two women.
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that federal prosecutors were investigating sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations against McMahon.
In June, federal judge Valerie Caproni ruled that the government had "established probable cause to believe" that McMahon and one of his former lawyers broke the law.
There's evidence that they "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," Caproni's ruling said, the Post reported.
Both Caproni and the three-judge appeals panel ruled in favor of prosecutors on an evidence issue, writing that McMahon's discussions with his lawyers were not subject to attorney-client privilege.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.