Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke has been pardoned by President Trump after a federal grand jury indicted him of bid rigging over the summer.
According to Desert Sun, Leiweke was facing 10 years in prison as well as a $1 million fine. Oak View Group was ordered to pay $15 million in penalties.
These charges came in the wake of an investigation that uncovered Leiweke and the Oak View Group’s involvement in conspiring with another would-be bidder on the University of Texas’ $338 million Moody Center arena. Leiweke asked Legends Hospitality to drop its bid on the project, and in exchange, he promised to subcontract with the company later. However, Leiweke reneged on that agreement.
Related: Oak View Group CEO Charged With Bid-Rigging UT’s Moody Arena Project
After reports of the bid-rigging were made public, other high-profile college athletics projects began to question Oak View Group.
Louisiana State University had identified Oak View Group as a top pick to develop its $400 million arena, but halted that process for a “due diligence review,” and confirmed with the public that no agreement had been signed with the company.
President Trump signed the pardon for Leiweke on Dec. 2, one day after Oak View Group announced the hiring of a new, permanent CEO.
“We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him,” a spokesperson for Oak View Group said. “OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
“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,” Leiweke said.
