Moody Center Developer Indicted: A Tale of Greed, Lies, and Overpriced Nachos

In a shocking turn of events that absolutely no one saw coming, yet another corporate bigwig has been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group—because nothing says "trustworthy" like a company with "Group" in its name—has been indicted for allegedly rigging bids on the Moody Center. That’s right, folks, the same arena that was supposed to be "a world-class venue built for music" was apparently also built on a foundation of backroom deals and corporate handshakes. Who could have predicted that a $375 million project might attract some shady behavior? Oh, right. Everyone.

According to prosecutors, Leiweke and his buddies at Legends Hospitality—a company co-owned by Jerry Jones, because of course it is—decided to play a little game of "let’s not compete." In a move that reeks of "we’re all rich here, why fight?", Oak View allegedly promised Legends some sweet subcontracts if they’d just sit this one out. Spoiler alert: those promises were about as solid as the $15 beers they sell at the Moody Center. But hey, at least the DOJ got a cool $15 million out of it, which is roughly the cost of one (1) premium seating ticket to a Travis Scott show at the venue.

Leiweke, ever the stand-up guy, has denied all allegations, because what’s a little federal indictment between friends? His spokesperson even had the audacity to claim he has a "well-deserved reputation for fairness and integrity." Ah yes, the same integrity that allegedly led him to say, "Let’s find a way to get (the competitor) some of the business" so they’d "back down." Truly, the words of a modern-day Robin Hood, if Robin Hood stole from public universities and gave to himself.

Meanwhile, the Moody Center continues to rake in cash, because nothing says "justice" like a venue grossing $126 million while its developers cough up fines that amount to pocket change. But don’t worry, Oak View Group is "committed to upholding industry-leading compliance and disclosure practices." Which, translated from corporate-speak, probably means they’ll just be more careful about getting caught next time.

So here’s to you, Tim Leiweke. May your legal defense be as robust as the markup on arena nachos, and may the rest of us take solace in the fact that, at least in this economy, we’re all getting screwed one way or another. Cheers! 🍻