Tim Leiweke Pleads Not Guilty to Conspiracy Charge

Oak View Group (OVG) founder and former CEO Tim Leiweke has pleaded not guilty to the federal criminal conspiracy charge tied to the Moody Center arena project.

The details:

• The US Department of Justice indicted Leiweke on a federal criminal conspiracy charge earlier this month, after which the exec stepped down as OVG CEO.

• He was accused of conspiring with the CEO of a competitor to rig the bidding process to oversee Austin’s Moody Center at the University of Texas.

• Leiweke has strongly denied any wrongdoing.

The plea:

• Leiweke surrendered to the US District Court in Austin and pleaded not guilty to the charge of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

• He was released on $1 million bond on the condition he remain in the continental US and surrender his passport.

What they said:

• David Gerger, Leiweke’s lawyer (as per Billboard): “Tim and his team built UT a great arena – and saved the university millions of dollars in the process. They did that by competition, not crime, and Tim is innocent of these charges.”