President Donald Trump pardoned Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke on Wednesday, months after the live entertainment mogul was indicted on charges of conspiring to rig the bidding process for an arena in Texas.
Leiweke is alleged to have conspired with the CEO of a rival company to rig the bidding process for the development and use of a public arena that would have gone on the campus of a university in Austin, Texas.
“As outlined in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater said of his indictment. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable.”
Trump granted Leiweke clemency in an order on Wednesday, though he did not offer an explanation for the move.
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Leiweke was facing up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine based on his charges.
Prosecutors say Leiweke negotiated a deal with a rival company that prevented that company from filing a rival bid for the development of the arena. In exchange, Leiweke allegedly agreed to give the rival company the arena’s subcontracts.
The arena opened to the public in 2022, and the DOJ says Oak View Group continues to receive “significant revenues” from the project. OVG agreed to pay $15 million in penalties as part of the indictment, the Justice Department said.
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“Unfair business practices, like those employed here, make it very difficult for the American people to pursue prosperity like our founders intended,” said Justin Simmons, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
“In the Western District of Texas, we’re proud to work with our colleagues in the Antitrust Division on these types of cases, and we will do all we can to ensure those who engage in the type of conduct described in this case are held to account,” he added.
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