President Donald Trump pardoned longtime sports and entertainment executive Tim Leiweke after he was criminally charged in July with bid-rigging related to the development of an arena at the University of Texas.
The Justice Department posted a notice of the pardon on its website on Wednesday afternoon. The notice was dated Dec. 2. The move stands out because the pardon comes just months after Leiweke was charged by the Justice Department under Trump’s administration.
Leiweke expressed “profound gratitude” to Trump. “The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards,” he said in a statement.
The pardon also comes just before Leiweke is scheduled to be deposed by lawyers for the Justice Department and Live Nation Entertainment Inc. on Thursday in the DOJ’s separate civil antitrust case against the company and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing a confidential matter.
Leiweke earlier unsuccessfully tried to avoid the deposition, citing liability from then pending criminal charges, according to court records.
A trial in the DOJ’s antitrust case against Live Nation is set to start in early March in New York.
Spokespeople for the White House, DOJ and Live Nation didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Leiweke had no immediate comment on the deposition.
Leiweke’s former company, Oak View Group LLC, entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department that was announced in July and agreed to pay a fine of $15 million. Leiweke stepped down from his post as Oak View chief executive officer shortly after the charges were filed.
“We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him,” Oak View Group said in a statement. “OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
The criminal case against Leiweke related to allegations that Oak View illegally coordinated with its rival Legends on the bidding to develop and operate the Moody Center, a $338 million arena at the University of Texas in Austin. Oak View ultimately won the contract in 2018 and the venue opened in 2022. Legends also signed a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department, resolving its case.
