Oak View Group CEO indicted on federal charges as company expands Palm Springs operations

The Justice Department has indicted Oak View Group co-founder and CEO Tim Leiweke on federal antitrust charges, prompting the city to address concerns about the company’s expanding operations in the region.

Oak View Group owns Acrisure Arena and the Coachella Valley Firebirds, manages the historic Plaza Theatre in Downtown Palm Springs, and is negotiating with the city to take over tourism and management services of the Palm Springs Convention Center.

A city spokesperson said Thursday that while the allegations against Leiweke are serious, “they pertain solely to activities entirely unrelated to the City of Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Convention Center, or the Plaza Theatre.”

The city said its selection of OVG as the preferred operator for the convention center “followed a rigorous, transparent, and competitive procurement process” evaluated by city staff and community representatives.

Contract negotiations with OVG remain ongoing, with a final agreement expected to be presented to the City Council later this month.

Leiweke was charged with violating the Sherman Antitrust Act in connection with alleged bid-rigging for the Moody Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which opened in 2022. According to the indictment, Leiweke orchestrated an effort starting in 2018 to persuade a rival company to withdraw from bidding on the arena contract in exchange for receiving subcontracts.

“As outlined in the indictment, 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 Abigail Slater, chief of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.

A spokesperson for Leiweke disputed the charges, saying the longtime sports and entertainment executive “has done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity.”

Oak View Group announced that Leiweke will step down as CEO and become vice chairman of the board of directors while remaining a shareholder. Chris Granger, president of OVG360, was appointed interim CEO by the board.

An Oak View Group spokesperson said the company “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.”

Leiweke previously served as CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group and later led Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment before co-founding Oak View Group with Irving Azoff’s Azoff ASG Entertainment in 2015.

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