Trump has pardoned former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke
Leiweke, no longer facing bid-rigging charges, is thankful for his “new lease on life”
Christmas has come early for indicted former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke. What’s that in your stocking, Tim? Oh, wow—a pardon from the US president.
Leiweke, as most Toronto sports fans are well aware, left MLSE in 2015 to form his own sports and real estate company, Oak View Group, with offices and staff on both sides of the border. Here in Canada, OVG recently completed a roughly $280-million revamp of Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre (née Copps Coliseum). Now named the TD Coliseum, the concert and sports venue reopened last month with a sold-out Paul McCartney show.
Related: Former MLSE boss Tim Leiweke on turning the Hammer into a mini Toronto
The opening was, presumably, a bittersweet milestone for Leiweke, who stepped down from his role following a criminal indictment for bid-rigging from the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division. Authorities alleged that Leiweke orchestrated a conspiracy to kill a competitor’s bid for the construction and management of Moody Center in Austin, Texas. “It is not true, and I am confident that jurors in Austin will see this case for what it is,” he said back in July. Only now they won’t have to, following a “full and complete pardon” from POTUS.
Trump’s penchant for pardoning is well-established at this point, particularly for white-collar criminals who may be capable of demonstrating their gratitude. What’s unusual about the Leiweke case is that the charges weren’t laid under a previous government. Trump’s own justice department charged him five months ago.
In a statement, Leiweke said he was thankful for his “new lease on life,” sharing his profound gratitude to the president. (It’s certainly a different tune from 2024, when, in a now deleted tweet, he called Trump the “single greatest Con man”.)
No word on what’s next for the beleaguered businessman, but if history is any teacher, he will soon by earning seven figures in a C-suite.
Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
