Trump Pardons Leiweke in Texas Arena Bid-Rigging Case

President Donald Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon on Tuesday to Tim Leiweke, a 68-year-old live entertainment executive and co-founder of Oak View Group, for federal charges related to bid rigging on a Texas arena project. The pardon, announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday, came just months after Leiweke's indictment in July by the department's antitrust division.

Leiweke, who served as chief executive of Oak View Group until stepping down following the charges, faced accusations of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by conspiring to restrain trade. Prosecutors alleged that in early 2018, Leiweke worked with the chief executive of rival firm Legends Hospitality to secure Oak View Group as the sole bidder for developing and operating the Moody Center, a multipurpose arena on the University of Texas at Austin campus. According to the indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Leiweke offered the competitor future subcontracts and benefits tied to arena events in exchange for withdrawing from the bidding process, which dated back to 2017 and continued through at least mid-2024. The Moody Center opened in...