Dodgers Owner Mark Walter Under Fresh Scrutiny Over $350M Related-Party Loan

A USA TODAY Sports report based on a Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast alleges self-dealing linked to Dodgers owner Mark Walter: EquiTrust, a Guggenheim Partners insurer, lent $350 million in 2014 to Walter-controlled American Media Productions, which owned SportsNet LA, around the time of a landmark TV rights deal with Time Warner. The piece notes ties between Walter, Guggenheim executives, and Magic Johnson (who became EquiTrust’s controlling shareholder in 2014) and cites investments in the JLC Infrastructure Fund. EquiTrust was later sold to Amistad Financial Group in 2025, now under federal scrutiny, while Walter’s broader financing and investigations by the DOJ and SEC continue to unfold. Dodgers leadership says the team is not for sale, despite ongoing questions about funding and related transactions, including Walter’s recent Lakers and Chelsea stake activity.