Minority Vikings Owner David Mandelbaum’s Son—Not Affiliated With Team—Reported to Enter Pre-Trial Intervention for Domestic Assault

According to the New York Post’s celebrity gossip section, Page Six, minority owner David Mandelbaum’s son has been charged with domestic assault and has entered a pre-trial intervention program. As far as I can tell, the son, Michael, does not own any share in the Vikings. SINow also has a story on this.

Honestly, Mandelbaum is not really associated with the Vikings, but the story has been slowly accelerating throughout the day, so there might as well be something on it here. It looks like things will build for the Vikings, and though there is honest criticism on how they’ve handled the latest controversy, it may not be fair to rope this one in with it.

Michael Mandelbaum has reportedly entered a pre-trial intervention program similar to the one Ray Rice entered (both were in New Jersey at the time of their incidents). Michael Mandelbaum handles the legal affairs for his family, but not the Vikings.

The Wall Street Journal and the New Jersey Star-Ledger both have reported that Mandelbaum has been charged with domestic assault for pushing his wife down the stairs. Per the Wall Street Journal:

The divorce proceedings began in 2013, after Ms. Mandelbaum got a temporary restraining order over a Dec. 19 incident at their Warren, N.J., home.

A police report filed in court said that an officer found Ms. Mandelbaum at the bottom of a staircase in a semiconscious state. Mr. Mandelbaum told the officer, according to the report, that she slipped while walking down the stairs and hit her head.

Later, Ms. Mandelbaum told paramedics, according to the report, that she was arguing with Mr. Mandelbaum when he had “grabbed and pushed her, causing her to lose her balance and fall.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Mandelbaum will be entering the pretrial intervention program that the New York Post mentions, where charges will be dropped upon completion.

After the Ray Rice controversy, the pretrial intervention program came under fire in New Jersey, and there’s currently a proposal to change who would be eligible for the program, limiting out those accused specifically of aggravated assault. Both Rice and Mandelbaum were charged with aggravated assault in the third degree.

The Mandelbaums’ role as minority owners became prominent after the stadium debate after the Wilf family lost a 21-year-old court case over charges of fraud, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty and were required to pay out over $80 million of damages. Mandelbaum was subject to a financial review by the Minnesota Sports Facilities authority in order to assess the Vikings’ ability to pay their end of the stadium deal after the lawsuit news came down. Again, Michael is not said to own any share in the Vikings.

The Wilfs are said to own over 80 percent of the Vikings, with three other minority owners—Mandelbaum, Alan Landis and Reggie Fowler—own the rest. Mandelbaum has ownership over a number of assets, including a share of Vornado Realty Trust worth more than $500 million. Michael Mandelbaum is contesting the divorce on the grounds that the two were never legally married in the twenty-years after their marriage ceremony.

Though charged in January for an event that occurred in December, it looks like the story is gaining momentum now because Mandelbaum just entered the program while the NFL is currently hanging under the cloud of the same problem among their players.

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