President Donald Trump pardoned the former CEO of entertainment company Oak View Group, months after he was charged with federal conspiracy.
Tim Leiweke, 68, who remains a shareholder of the company after stepping down as CEO in July, expressed Trump's “deep gratitude” for pardon.
“This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter and me,” Leiweke said in a statement Wednesday. “The President has given us new life, for which we will be grateful and be good stewards.”
Leiweke was indicted during the Trump administration.
Federal grand jury in Texas returned the indictment in July which accused Leiweke of conspiring with a competitor to rig the bidding process for the $375 million Moody Center, a 15,000-seat arena at the University of Texas at Austin that hosts major music events as well as basketball and other sporting events. The potential competitor agreed to withdraw from the tender in exchange for subcontracts.
Leiweke pleaded not guilty, and Oak View Group agreed to pay $15 million in connection with the charges against him.
David Gerger, one of Leiweke's attorneys, said in a statement that the pardon, dated Tuesday, “is the right outcome and we are happy for our client and his family.”
It is unclear whether Leiweke or any of his allies lobbied for clemency.
Trump pardons resumed in recent months after the White House paused and tried to tighten its reviews over concerns that the process had become profitable business for lobbying and consulting firms during Trump's second term.
Last month, Trump pardoned Joe Lewis, a British billionaire who pleaded guilty last year federal charges of insider trading.
He also published pardons that were considered largely symbolic for his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 76 others involved in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including lawyers Sidney Powell, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, as well as his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows. None of them were convicted of federal crimes, which are covered by the president's pardon powers.
Trump has also used his executive power to help current and former members of Congress.
On Wednesday, Trump said I would forgive Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who was accused last year in connection with allegations that he received bribes from foreign individuals and was involved in money laundering.
He also commuted the sentence former Rep. George Santos in October. Santos, New York, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty last year to face charges of fraud and aggravated identity theft.
