Virginia AG opens probe into Washington Commanders’ alleged financial misconduct

Virginia Lawyer Basic Jason Miyares confirmed this week that his workplace is investigating alleged monetary misconduct by the Washington Commanders after a congressional committee raised the problem with the Federal Commerce Fee earlier this month. 

The Home Committee on Oversight and Reform made the allegations in a letter on April 12, saying that “senior executives and the group’s proprietor, Daniel Snyder, might have engaged in a troubling, long-running, and doubtlessly illegal sample of economic conduct that victimized hundreds of group followers and the Nationwide Soccer League.” 

Miyares advised a group lawyer in a letter on Monday that he has “not prejudged the problems” and feels it’s his “duty to rigorously study the fabric info concerning this matter.”

The congressional committee’s investigation leans partly on the testimony of Jason Friedman, a former VP of gross sales and customer support for the Washington Commanders, and different former staff. 

COMMANDERS HELD BACK REVENUE OWED TO VISITING TEAMS: REPORT

One former government alleged that the group exploited the league’s revenue-sharing practices by maintaining “two units of books,” one with the complete accounting and one with underreported income numbers. 

Dan Snyder, middle, co-owner and co-CEO of the Washington Commanders, adjusts his masks as he arrives to unveil his NFL soccer group’s new id, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md.
(AP Photograph/Patrick Semansky)

The committee additionally discovered that the group might have withheld refundable safety deposits on multi-year seat leases, in keeping with the report. 

The Washington Commanders have denied any wrongdoing and stated the investigation is not warranted. 

“The committee didn’t request a single doc from the group; the committee didn’t invite a single consultant of the group to handle the reality of the issues contained within the committee’s letter; and the committee didn’t pose inquiries to the group to reply in writing about its allegations, or present any mechanism in anyway for the group to handle the reality of the allegations,” Jordan W. Siev, a lawyer for the Commanders, wrote in a letter earlier this month.”

An in depth view of the brand new Washington Commanders uniforms following the announcement of the Washington Soccer Crew’s identify change to the Washington Commanders at FedExField on February 02, 2022, in Landover, Maryland. 
(Photograph by Rob Carr/Getty Photographs)

It is the newest controversy to hit the Washington franchise, because the NFL fined the group $10 million final yr after an investigation revealed what the league referred to as a “extremely unprofessional” office. 

The Related Press contributed to this report.