New detail, current investigation, lead to resurfacing of rape allegations against Vince McMahon

New details and current allegations of misconduct have lead to the resurfacing of Rita Chatterton’s rape accusations against Vince McMahon.

New York Magazine published a story with added details on the Chatterton story that corroborate Chatterton’s claims — something the story didn’t have when the accusations came to light in 1992, but without charges filed.

“Chatterton has been forgotten before,” Abe Riesman writes in the piece. “In 1992, she came forward publicly to accuse Vincent Kennedy McMahon, the iron-willed owner of the WWF, of raping her in the summer of 1986. However, the statute of limitations for rape had already run out by then, so no charges were brought against McMahon. What’s more, the accusation came out while the WWF was mired in a number of unrelated scandals, and it got lost in the shuffle.

“Since then, her story was whispered about and occasionally cited by wrestling journalists bold enough to risk earning McMahon’s ire. But such occasions have been rare. The reporters’ reticence had been understandable, and not just because they fear McMahon. The bigger problem has been that no one would come forward to speak on the record.”

After new allegations of misconduct by Vince McMahon surfaced earlier this month, New York Magazine received on-record feedback and detail from Leonard Inzitari, formerly known as Mario Mancini, and a jobber for the WWF. Inzitari detailed a conversation that happened between him and Chatterton after the alleged rape.

“She looks at me and bursts out in tears,” Inzitari said of that conversation with Chatterton. “And she grabbed me, and I go, ‘Rita, what happened?’”

Chatterton accused McMahon of raping her in his limo in Poughkeepsie in July of 1986. In 1992, Chatterton came forward with the accusations on The Geraldo Rivera daytime talk show.

Chatterton was the first-ever female referee in the WWF.

Vince McMahon stepped aside as CEO of WWE two weeks ago amid an investigation by the WWE Board into $3 million of hush money payments made to a WWE employee with who he allegedly had an affair with. Stephanie McMahon now serves as the interim CEO of WWE, while Vince McMahon remains in control of WWE creative.

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