Tim Leiweke, the former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, received a pardon from President Donald Trump on Wednesday. This decision comes five months after Leiweke was indicted for allegedly conspiring to rig the bidding process for an arena at the University of Texas in Austin.

Leiweke, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. In a clemency statement, Trump referred to the pardon as a "full and conditional pardon," but did not provide specific reasons for the reversal of the case.

Following the indictment, Leiweke stepped down as CEO of Oak View Group, a sports and real estate company he co-founded. He had previously led MLSE from 2013 to 2015 before transitioning to Oak View Group, which manages numerous venues across North America, including Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena and Hamilton’s TD Coliseum.

In a statement, Leiweke expressed his gratitude, saying, "The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards."

The pardon was announced just before Leiweke was scheduled to be deposed in a separate civil antitrust case involving the Justice Department and Live Nation Entertainment. Leiweke had previously sought to avoid the deposition due to the pending criminal charges. The antitrust trial against Live Nation is set to begin in early March in New York.

In July, Oak View Group entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department, agreeing to pay a $15 million fine. The criminal case against Leiweke involved allegations that Oak View illegally coordinated with its competitor, Legends, during the bidding process for the Moody Center, a $338 million arena that opened in 2022. Legends also reached a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department, resolving its case.

As the situation develops, Leiweke's former company stated, "We are happy for Tim that he can now put this matter behind him," emphasizing their focus on delivering exceptional outcomes under the leadership of current CEO Chris Granger.