Photo Credit: Oak View Group co-founder and former CEO Tim Leiweke
Just as Oak View Group moves on from co-founder Tim Leiweke, Trump pardons him—after his own DOJ charged him with rigging bids.
Donald Trump has pardoned Oak View Group co-founder Tim Leiweke, just months after the president’s DOJ indicted him over rigging bids for the development of a Texas arena. Leiweke stepped down as chairman and CEO following the indictment, and has denied any wrongdoing.
The news also comes just after Oak View Group (OVG) announced the appointment of its new CEO, Chris Granger, who served as interim CEO after Leiweke’s indictment.
“We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him,” reads a statement from OVG. “OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
While the reason for the pardon is unknown, Leiweke was allegedly lobbying for such an outcome.
Leiweke was indicted on July 9 for allegedly conducting a bid-rigging scheme for the management and development of an arena at the University of Texas at Austin. The live entertainment executive was accused of conspiring with the CEO of a competitor to emerge as the sole bidder for the purchase of the Moody Center. The arena opened in 2022, but the so-called conspiracy dates back to 2018.
Leiweke, who also once ran AEG, was charged with a violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Although OVG and Legends Hospitality agreed to pay penalties to the tune of $15 million and $1.5 million, respectively, Leiweke’s legal team claimed the allegations were factually inaccurate, and that the deal had been legit.
According to the DOJ’s indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the alleged conspiracy took place from February 2018 to at least June 2024. In 2018, Leiweke was said to have reached an agreement with a competitor’s CEO, whereby the competitor would stand down in exchange for OVG to give the company subcontracts for events held at the arena. OVG ended up being the sole bidder for the development of the Moody Center.
