Leader of Company Behind Proposed Vegas NBA Arena Indicted for Bid-Rigging
Posted on: July 9, 2025, 04:57h.
Last updated on: July 9, 2025, 04:57h.
- Tim Leiweke has been indicted by the DOJ for rigging the bidding process for a Texas stadium
- Leiweke is CEO of the Oak View Group, which is behind a $10 billion proposal to build an NBA Arena in Las Vegas
- A spokesperson for Leiweke denies the charges, which threaten him with 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine
The man behind the leading proposal to build an NBA arena in Las Vegas has been indicted by the US Department of Justice. Tim Lieweke, CEO of the Denver-based Oak View Group (OVG), stands accused of rigging the bidding process for a public arena contract at the Moody Center, University of Texas at Austin.
According to the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Leiweke conspired to eliminate competition by convincing a rival company, Legends Hospitality, to withdraw its bid in exchange for subcontracts. OVG secured the contract as the sole bidder for the arena, which opened in April 2022 and continues to generate revenue for the company.
Leiweke faces up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, the DOJ stated, and OVG and Legends have already agreed to pay $15 million and $1.5 million in penalties, respectively.
“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,” Abigail Slater, chief of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, said in a statement. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable.”
Leiweke’s spokesperson denies the allegations, asserting his innocence in a statement and criticizing the DOJ’s case as misaligned with legal precedent and industry practices that enhance competition.
“Mr. Leiweke has done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend himself and his well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity,” the statement read.
We’re Down with OVG
OVG is the Denver-based private equity firm that plans to build a $10 billion NBA arena in Las Vegas.
“This unprecedented project is an industry game-changer, and we will usher in the evolution of Las Vegas as the new entertainment AND sports capital of the world,” Leiweke said when the project was first announced in 2023.
Originally, OVG planned to build it on 25 acres near the M Resort, five miles south of the Strip. But a financial disagreement with the owner of that land, Fla.-based Blue Diamond Acquisition, spurred OVG last year to train its sites on the Rio instead.
Two weeks ago, Casino.org broke the news that Resorts World was also looking to sell 42 of its undeveloped Strip acres for a basketball area, though OVG was not mentioned by name.
The NBA’s board of governors has convened in Vegas this week for its annual summer meetings, during which league expansion will be a key agenda topic.
According to BetOnline.ag, Las Vegas and Seattle has emerged as clear favorites as the next cities expected to join the league. Seattle, which lost its SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008, tops the list at 1:1, followed by Las Vegas at 2:1.
Last Comments ( 2 )
The further they rise; the further they fall.
It wouldn't be a true Vegas story if there wasn't bribery.