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Former Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke received a full and unconditional presidential pardon Tuesday from President Donald Trump, just five months after the U.S. Department of Justice charged him with allegedly rigging the bid to build and operate the Moody Center arena on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

The July indictment accused Leiweke of conspiracy to restrain trade under Section 1 of the Sherman Act—an offense that could have carried a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a $1 million fine.

DOJ’s Bid-Rigging Allegations

Texas federal prosecutors alleged that Leiweke colluded with a competitor—later revealed as Legends Hospitality—in a covert pact designed to tilt the Moody Center bidding process in Oak View’s favor.

According to the indictment, Leiweke urged Legends to “stand down,” ensuring the rival would neither submit nor join an independent competing bid. In exchange, Legends was allegedly promised a series of lucrative subcontracts, including food and beverage operations and premium seating sales.

Federal prosecutors claim that once Oak View secured the arena project, Leiweke abandoned the promised subcontracts, opting instead to have Oak View take them on directly.

Trump’s Decision Upends DOJ’s Antitrust Push

The criminal charges emerged amid the DOJ’s heightened scrutiny of the live events sector, following its civil action accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the industry. Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater noted in July that the Leiweke prosecution aligned with a Trump executive order calling for rigorous enforcement of antitrust laws in the live ticketing ecosystem.

Slater said at the time that enforcing competition protections would help ensure “the live entertainment industry Americans know and love can be made accessible to all Americans in a free and fair market.”

Both Oak View and Legends agreed to cooperate with DOJ investigators, with Oak View paying a $15 million fine and Legends paying $1.5 million.

Leiweke Responds: “A New Lease on Life”

In a statement to Law360, Leiweke said he lacked “the words to adequately convey my profound gratitude to President Trump,” describing the past months as “a long and difficult journey” for his family.

He added that the pardon gives them “a new lease on life.”

Leiweke’s attorney, David Gerger of Gerger Hennessy Martin & Peterson LLP, said the decision “is the right result.”

Pardon Part of a Wider Clemency Wave

Leiweke’s pardon is the fourth Trump has issued since early December. The president on Wednesday also pardoned Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and his wife Imelda Cuellar, who were charged in May with conspiracy, bribery, honest services fraud, money laundering and acting as agents of foreign principals. Two counts tied to alleged FARA violations were previously dismissed after Attorney General Pam Bondi limited such prosecutions.

Earlier this month, Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been sentenced to 45 years in prison for drug-trafficking and weapons offenses.

The White House and DOJ declined to comment Wednesday.