JAGISTS

Chelsea American owner, Todd Boehly is fighting back against accusations that he committed ‘fraudulent‘ behaviour and ‘crass profiteering’ in his takeover of the Golden Globes takeover in 2023

According to Dailymail, the claim was made by former members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which used to run the iconic film and TV awards, but has been dismissed by a source close to the American billionaire as a ‘character assassination

The anonymous group accused Boehly of unfairly taking control of the Globes in 2023 after the awards suffered a boycott by stars and publicists following years of scandal and the revelation that the HFPA had no black voting members.

The claims about Boehly, who led the consortium which bought Cheslea FC from Roman Abramovich in a £4.25billion deal in 2022, were made in a legal letter sent to California’s Attorney General in the hope that he would investigate the takeover.

Chelsea have spent around £1.15bn on transfers since the Boehly-led consortium bought Chelsea but have not finished higher than sixth in the Premier League, though this campaign they sit fourth under Enzo Maresca. 

The letter followed claims that Boehly had overseen a regime of ‘crass profiteering’ at his new body running the Globes which include accusations of ‘wh***** out’ the Globes brand for ‘grubby events in the Middle East’, according to Hollywood news website Puck.

Puck also highlighted claims that the show now charges thousands of dollars to post films and TV shows on its screening platform, which the HFPA never did, while ticket prices and other charges have also increased.

The letter sent in September 2023 called on the Attorney General, Rob Bonta, to delay signing off a formal ‘dissolution’ of the HFPA, due to its members having allegedly been ‘intentionally mislead’ when they approved the takeover.

The group, made up of international entertainment journalists, claimed that the final approval needed to be given as a result of the HFPA having a charitable arm.

But sources close to Boehly have disputed claims that the letter could impact the takeover of the Globes by his private equity firm, Eldridge Industries, along with Dick Clark Productions, which is headed by Jay Penske, the media tycoon.

One source suggested to MailOnline that the deal had already been signed off and there was no suggestion that the Attorney General had launched any investigation into the claims.

The source said it appeared that the letter had only recently been leaked in order to cause embarrassment to Boehly around the time of nominations for the Golden Globes ceremony.

The Attorney General’s office told Puck earlier this month that it was ‘currently reviewing the final request for a waiver of objection ‘to hold up the final dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’.