Donald Trump granted Tim Leiweke a pardon, just five months after the administration’s Justice Department charged the live entertainment executive in a scheme to rig the bidding process for a public arena in Texas.
The pardon was signed by the president on Tuesday.
In July, Leiweke, a longtime executive in live sports and entertainment who once ran AEG, was charged with a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. It carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
According to the indictment brought by the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, starting in 2018, Leiweke, by then CEO of Oak View Group, orchestrated an effort to get a rival to stand down on a bid for the arena contract in exchange for gaining subcontracts. The arena, the Moody Center at the University of Texas at Austin, opened in 2022.
At the time, OVG has agreed to pay $15 million in penalties, while Legends Hospitality has agreed to pay $1.5 million, in connection with their conduct alleged in the indictment, the Justice Department said.
In a statement, Leiweke said, “I do not have the words to adequately convey my profound gratitude to President Trump. This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me. The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards.”
His attorney, David Gerger, said, “This is the right result, and we are happy for our client and his family.”
A spokesperson for Leiweke said in July that he did “nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity. The Antitrust Division’s allegations are wrong on the law and the facts, and the case should never have been brought.”
According to CNN, which first reported on the pardon, Leiweke was represented in his appeal for clemency by Trey Gowdy, the former congressman who is the host of a Sunday evening Fox News show.
Leiweke was the former CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, and later became the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. He and Irving Azoff’s Azoff ASG Entertainment launched Oak View Group in 2015.
At the time of the indictment, Oak View Group announced that Leiweke would leave his role as CEO and will become vice chairman of the board of directors, and would remain a shareholder of the company. Oak View Group named Chris Granger as permanent CEO on Tuesday.
An OVG spokesperson said, “We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him. OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
