Virginia AG to open inquiry into Commanders

ASHBURN, Va. — The Virginia legal professional normal’s workplace will open an investigation into allegations that the Washington Commanders engaged in monetary improprieties, based on a letter it emailed the franchise Monday.

The letter comes after the Home Oversight and Reform Committee despatched a letter to the Federal Commerce Fee on April 12. That letter was additionally despatched to the workplace of Virginia Legal professional Basic Jason Miyares in addition to to the legal professional generals for Maryland and Washington, D.C., informing them of alleged monetary improprieties by the crew.

Miyares instructed the crew he felt it was his “accountability to rigorously look at the fabric details after it was delivered to my consideration.”

Within the letter addressed to Washington’s legal professional, Jordan Siev, Miyares requested “full cooperation and transparency” throughout their inquiry.

“I’ve not prejudged the problems,” Miyares wrote.

The Commanders on Monday referred to a earlier assertion by a crew spokesperson that learn, “The crew categorically denies any suggestion of economic impropriety of any sort at any time. We adhere to strict inside processes which can be in step with business and accounting requirements, are audited yearly by a globally revered unbiased auditing agency, and are additionally topic to common audits by the NFL. We proceed to cooperate absolutely with the Committee’s work.”

The investigation can be led by Steven Popps, deputy legal professional normal for the civil division. It’ll contain the buyer safety part with the civil division, however might develop to the prison division based mostly on the findings.

Former Washington worker Jason Friedman, a former vice chairman of gross sales and customer support, made the allegations throughout an interview with the committee on March 14. Friedman, who spent 24 years with the crew earlier than being fired in October 2020, supplied e mail exchanges with former high-ranking officers.

Friedman accused the crew of withholding safety deposits from season-ticket holders — or making them exhausting to acquire — and of maintaining two accounting books, permitting them to maintain cash that might have been earmarked for the NFL’s income sharing pool.

The crew responded with a 105-page doc it additionally despatched to the FTC on April 18, rebutting the claims. They included emails that they are saying supplied proof they accurately accounted for income, in addition to signed affidavits from 4 former high-ranking crew officers.

The crew additionally mentioned Friedman, whom they known as a disgruntled former worker, wouldn’t have been included in finance or accounting conferences, and due to this fact wouldn’t have full data of their monetary issues.

Congress continues to research Washington’s office tradition. Throughout a roundtable session on Feb. 3, former Washington worker Tiffani Johnston alleged that proprietor Dan Snyder put his hand on her leg throughout a dinner and likewise tried to power her into his limousine, an account Friedman corroborated.

The NFL is also investigating Johnston’s declare. She didn’t discuss to legal professional Beth Wilkinson through the league’s preliminary investigation that resulted in a $10 million high-quality of the franchise.