‘Pawn Stars’ Sued — I Discovered You … and You SCREWED Me

Rick, Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee … are all getting their asses sued by their ex-manager, who claims he discovered the “Pawn Stars” and made them famous … only to get stabbed in the back.

The man behind the lawsuit is Wayne Jefferies — who claims he found the guys from Gold & Silver Pawn back in 2007 and got them a reality TV show deal with A&E and the History Channel … after Rick had struck out in the past.

Jefferies claims things were going great for years — with the show killing it in the ratings and the guys all cutting various endorsement deals … including credit cards, slot machines, books and even an energy drink.

But according to the suit, things fell apart earlier this year .. when network honchos became upset over a story Jefferies claims he leaked to TMZ. The story detailed how the “Pawn Stars” cast was blindsided when they learned A&E had commissioned a “Cajun Pawn Stars” spinoff.

In his suit, Jefferies claims network execs pressured the “Pawn Stars” cast to cut ties with Jefferies … which they did.

Jefferies is now suing the “Pawn Stars” guys for breach of contract … and he’s also suing A&E, the History Channel and various execs for interfering with his management deals.

Jefferies is asking for unspecified damages. Calls to the Pawn Stars and the networks have not been returned.