President Donald Trump pardoned Tim Leiweke, co-founder of Oak View Group, on Tuesday, just months after the president’s own DOJ charged the stadium developer and live entertainment mogul with rigging bids for a Texas arena.
Leiweke, who stepped down as chairman and CEO following the indictment, has denied any wrongdoing. Trump dated the executive grant of clemency for Tuesday, according to a DOJ document obtained and reviewed by TheWrap.
Leiweke expressed “profound gratitude” for Trump’s unconditional pardon in a statement to media Wednesday.
“This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me,” he said. “The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards.”
The pardon came after Oak View Group donated $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration fund last winter, according to documents reviewed by TheWrap, and as Leiweke secured legal representation from Trey Gowdy, a former House representative and Trump ally who served on the president’s impeachment defense team in 2019.
Leiweke was indicted on July 9 for allegedly orchestrating a bid-rigging scheme over the management and development of an arena at the University of Texas at Austin. The longtime live sports and entertainment executive, who once ran AEG, allegedly conspired with the CEO of an unnamed competitor to emerge as the sole bidder for the purchase of the Moody Center, a multi-purpose entertainment arena used by UT Austin and the city. The purported conspiracy dates back to 2018; the arena opened in 2022.
Leiweke was charged with a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. OVG and Legends Hospitality had agreed to pay $15 million and $1.5 million in penalties, respectively, but the CEO’s legal team claimed the allegations were “wrong on the law and the facts” and that the business deal was legal.
The charges came from assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
Oak View Group announced a “CEO transition” following the indictment and on Tuesday named Chris Granger its full-time CEO. Leiweke remains vice chairman of the board and is a shareholder of the company.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, had found that the CEO’s alleged conspiring actions took place from February 2018 to at least June 2024. In February of 2018, Leiweke allegedly reached an agreement with the competitor’s CEO in which the competitor stood down in exchange for Leiweke and OVG to give the company subcontracts for events held at the arena. OVG was the sole bidder for the development of the Moody Center.
Reuters first reported the news.
