• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Oak View Founder Tim Leiweke Indicted for Alleged Rigged Arena Bid

The impact of Tim Leiweke’s work can be seen all over the country, particularly through a series of highly regarded venues. One of those arenas, however, is the source of a new criminal indictment. 

April 19, 2022; Austin, TX, USA; Tim Leiweke of the Oak View Group speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Moody Center, a multi-purpose arena that will be home to concerts and the UT basketball teams on Tuesday April 19, 2022.
Jay Janner-Imagn Images

Oak View Group founder and CEO Tim Leiweke, one of the most accomplished and respected executives in the business of sports, has been criminally indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in an alleged bid-rigging scheme.

The government claims that Leiweke, while in the midst of bidding in 2017 and 2018 to build the Moody Center at the University of Texas in Austin, entered into an agreement with another potential bidder for the rival to drop its independent proposal. Leiweke was to provide lucrative subcontracts in return, but the indictment claims that he and OVG reneged on that promise.

The indictment includes a charge of conspiracy to restrain trade, in violation of the Sherman Act.

“The defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable.”

The $375 million Moody Center opened in April 2022, with OVG submitting the lone qualified bid, and it still stands as one of the most advanced venues in a mid-sized market such as Austin. 

OVG, which was not named in the indictment and instead referred to as “co-conspirator company 1,” entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department and will pay a $15 million fine. Legends Hospitality, an OVG rival company, also entered into a similar non-prosecution agreement and will pay a $1.5 million fine.

Leiweke faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The Justice Department, however, also said that the fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. 

OVG said in a statement that it “cooperated fully with the Antitrust Division’s inquiry and is pleased to have resolved this matter with no charges filed against OVG and no admission of fault or wrongdoing,” while making no reference to Leiweke. Separately, a spokesperson for Leiweke said in a statement that he “will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity. The Antitrust Division’s allegations are wrong on the law and the facts, and the case should never have been brought.”

Amid that, Leiweke also said he will step down from his day-to-day CEO leadership role and transition to a new one as vice chair of the OVG board of directors. OVG360 president Chris Granger will rise to Leiweke’s former position.

Before this situation arose, Leiweke had amassed a career spanning more than four decades and many facets of team operations, venue development, and live entertainment. That run has included senior leadership positions with Anschutz Entertainment Group, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and for nearly the past decade, OVG, in partnership with music business titan Irving Azoff.

Under Leiweke’s leadership, OVG has built and managed a series of major venues beyond the Moody Center, including Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and UBS Arena in New York, and it has long eyed being a fundamental part of a new NBA-ready arena in Las Vegas should a team be placed there.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

As CFB Programs Add Corporate Field Logos, Are Jersey Patches Next?

Texas is adding a sponsor’s logo to its football field this season.

After Draft-Day Snub and Drama, Sanders to Start Preseason Opener

Multiple injuries mean Sanders gets the nod for the opening preseason game.

US Open Breaks Prize Money Record, Still Leads All Grand Slams

The total 2025 US Open prize money is $85 million.

Former Heat Security Guard Indicted in $2M Memorabilia Scheme

He is accused of stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia, prosecutors say.

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of a Cleveland Browns helmet on a time out against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome.

Cleveland Takes New Shot at Blocking Browns’ $2.4B Stadium

A new lawsuit challenges a permit for the NFL team’s planned stadium.
Sep 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne (76) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center
exclusive
October 3, 2025

Dallas Stars Eyeing Possible Move to Plano in 2031

The team needs to figure out where they’ll play starting in 2031.
October 7, 2025

Rays Owner Eyes New ‘Forever Home’ Like Atlanta’s Battery

The club’s new owners target a new ballpark opening in 2029.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
Chicago Bears stadium rendering
October 1, 2025

Bears Want $855M in Public Money for Suburban Stadium

The NFL team details an updated ask for public money.
September 29, 2025

A’s Unveil Sacramento Jerseys As Vegas Development Advances

The club unveils an alternate “Sacramento” jersey as Las Vegas plans advance.
Sep 28, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Cam Hart (20) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (1) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Nabers was carted off the field with an injury after the play.
September 29, 2025

Malik Nabers’s Torn ACL Rekindles NFL’s Grass vs. Turf Debate

The Giants star tore his ACL on MetLife Stadium’s artificial surface.
September 25, 2025

NYCFC’s New $780M Queens Stadium Comes With Jab at Red Bulls

The MLS club progresses on developing its new stadium in Queens, N.Y.