WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump is preparing to grant a presidential pardon to British billionaire Joe Lewis, the former owner of the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, clearing his record from a 2024 insider trading conviction.
Lewis, 88, admitted guilt last year and paid a $5 million fine after a New York judge found him guilty of providing stock tips to associates. Despite the charges, the court spared him a prison sentence, placing him on three years of probation instead.
According to The Athletic, the decision to pardon Lewis was influenced by his advanced age and the court’s finding that he did not personally profit from the insider trading.
The pardon will restore Lewis’s ability to travel to the United States for the first time since his conviction, allowing him to seek medical treatment and reunite with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“I am pleased all of this is now behind me, and I can enjoy retirement and watch as my family and extended family continue to build our businesses based on the quality and pursuit of excellence that has become our trademark,” Lewis said in a statement.
Lewis has gradually stepped away from business activities in recent years. In 2022, he transferred control of Tottenham Hotspur to his family through a trust, ending decades of direct involvement in the club’s operations.
The billionaire joins a growing list of high-profile figures convicted of financial crimes who have received pardons during Trump’s second term — a trend that has sparked ongoing debate about executive clemency and accountability for white-collar offenders.
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