Former president of Denver Nuggets Timothy Leiweke indicted, accused of bid rigging by federal grand jury

Former Denver Nuggets president Timothy Leiweke has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bid rigging. The indictment accuses Leiweke, currently the CEO of Oak View Group (OVG), of orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for a multi-purpose arena project on the campus of a public university in Austin, Texas.

The Justice Department alleges that between approximately February 2018 and June 2024, Leiweke conspired with the CEO of a competitor. The scheme began when Leiweke learned a competitor was bidding against OVG for the project in September 2017. He expressed a desire to "get them some of the business" to make them "back down," explicitly stating he had "no interest in working with them if they intend on putting in a bid." In February 2018, Leiweke reached an agreement with the competitor's CEO: the competitor agreed not to submit a bid in exchange for receiving subcontracts on the Arena Project. As a result, OVG became the sole qualified bidder, won the contract, and the arena opened in April 2022, generating significant ongoing revenue for OVG.

Justice Department officials condemned the alleged actions. Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater stated Leiweke "rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding." FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia emphasized that public contracts require "an open and competitive bid process" and stated the FBI is determined to prevent benefits from rigged processes targeting public institutions.

In connection with the conduct alleged in Leiweke's indictment, OVG and Legends Hospitality have agreed to pay penalties of $15 million and $1.5 million, respectively. Leiweke himself is charged with violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for individuals.