U.S. President Donald Trump has moved to grant a presidential pardon to former Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis, who was convicted of insider trading in New York last year. The decision is one of several pardons issued by Trump since his return to the White House in January.<\/p>\n
Reporting in The Athletic said Lewis\u2019s age and the assessment that he did not personally profit from the offences to which he pled guilty were factors in the decision. The pardon will allow Lewis to re-enter the United States, where much of his family is based in Florida.<\/p>\n
Lewis stepped back from involvement in Tottenham in 2022 when ownership was handed to the Lewis Family Trust. He is described as effectively retired and has no plans to return to football. For that reason, those close to the club say the pardon will make no difference to Spurs\u2019 day-to-day affairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Lewis said.<\/p>\n
An anonymous individual described as a \u201csource close to the Lewis family\u201d offered wider context: \u201cJoe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver his long business career, Joe has been a visionary, creating businesses across the world which multiple generations of his family are now taking forward. There is so much more to the Joe Lewis story than this one event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Background: ENIC Group acquired a controlling stake in Tottenham from Alan Sugar in 2001, and bought further shares in conjunction with Daniel Levy in 2003 and again in 2007. ENIC currently holds an 86.58% stake in the club, with Levy owning just under 30% of ENIC. Levy recently stepped down as Tottenham\u2019s long-serving chairman after almost 25 years in the role.<\/p>\n
The pardon alters Lewis\u2019s legal standing in the United States but, given his retirement and the ownership structure, it is not expected to change the club\u2019s ownership or operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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