Trump Pardons Ex-OVG CEO Tim Leiweke in Bid-Rigging Case
President Donald Trump has issued a “full and unconditional” pardon of Oak View Group (OVG) founder and former chairman Tim Leiweke, according to a statement on the Department of Justice’s website published Wednesday (Dec. 3).
“We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him,” read a statement from an OVG spokesperson provided to Billboard. “OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
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Granger was announced as OVG’s new CEO yesterday, five months after Leiweke’s resignation from the top position in July following his indictment by a federal grand jury.
Leiweke had been charged with a single count of bid-rigging for his work on the construction of the Moody Center in Austin, an accusation he vowed to fight in court. The boards of Leiweke’s company, OVG, and rival Legends Hospitality Group signed non-prosecution agreements in the case, which centered around an agreement Leiweke made with former Legends CEO Shervin Mirhashemi to submit a combined bid for the contract to build the Moody Center with the University of Texas at Austin. OVG agreed to pay $15 million in connection with the charges against Leiweke.
“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 in a statement at the time.
The White House did not release a statement explaining its decision to pardon Leiweke, who was indicted by attorneys led by Trump’s own appointee, Gail Slater, who serves as head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division. Also pardoned on Wednesday was former Congressman Enrique Roberto “Henry” Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, for allegedly accepting bribes from a foreign oil company.
According to CNN, Leiweke’s effort to secure a pardon was led by former congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy.
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