Donald Trump has pardoned Tim Leiweke, co-founder of Oak View Group, months after the president’s own DOJ charged the stadium developer with rigging bids for a Texas arena, according to a Wednesday report by Reuters.
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 reviewed by the news agency.
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, though Leiweke remained vice chairman of the board.
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.
