Trump pardons former top entertainment executive who was charged by his own Justice Department
By Samantha Waldenberg, Kaitlan Collins, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump issued a “full and unconditional pardon” for Oak View Group co-founder Tim Leiweke, who was indicted by the president’s own Justice Department earlier this year, according to a document released online.
A federal grand jury indicted Leiweke, then the CEO of the live entertainment group, in July for “orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas,” according to a press release from the Justice Department announcing the charge.
“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.
Leiweke previously pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The pardon is dated Tuesday.
Leiweke was represented by Trump ally and former Rep. Trey Gowdy, who had lobbied the Justice Department to drop the case or grant him clemency, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The former executive previously criticized Trump as the world’s “single greatest Con man” and praised former Vice President Mike Pence for “standing up and fighting for the Constitution,” according to since-deleted tweets of his.
In a statement Wednesday, Leiweke spoke of his “profound gratitude” to Trump.
“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,” he said.
David Gerger, a lawyer for Leiweke, said in a statement that the pardon “is the right result.”
CNN has reached out to Gowdy and the White House for comment.
Leiweke is a former longtime sports executive who has run several professional sports franchises, including as president of the Denver Nuggets from 1991 to 1995. He co-founded OVG in 2015.
The pardon is the latest in a series of surprising clemency moves in recent days, with Trump previously announcing the erasure of a major US drug-trafficking conviction for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and a “full and unconditional” pardon for Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife, Imelda, who faced bribery charges.
The news comes just one day after Oak View Group named a new permanent chief executive officer after Leiweke resigned from the post following his indictment, according to a release.
“We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him,” a spokesperson for the venue management company said in a statement Wednesday. “OVG has remained steadfastly focused on delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients under the leadership of our CEO Chris Granger.”
According to the Justice Department, OVG previously agreed to pay $15 million in penalties in connection with the allegations against Leiweke.
This story has been updated with additional details.
The-CNN-Wire
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