In a move that has sent ripples through both the financial and sporting worlds, former U.S. President Donald Trump has granted a presidential pardon to Joe Lewis, the 88-year-old British billionaire whose family trust is the majority shareholder of Tottenham Hotspur football club. The pardon, confirmed on November 13, 2025, marks a dramatic turn in the legal saga of one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent businessmen and underscores Trump’s ongoing use of presidential clemency in high-profile cases.
Lewis, founder of the Tavistock Group and once a fixture on the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated net worth between $6.4 and $6.9 billion, pleaded guilty in January 2024 to conspiracy and two counts of securities fraud. The charges stemmed from a years-long insider trading scheme in which Lewis was accused of passing confidential information about his companies to private pilots, friends, personal assistants, and romantic partners. According to prosecutors cited by BBC, these tips netted millions of dollars in profits for his associates, with one particularly brazen instance involving Lewis logging into a girlfriend’s bank account to invest $700,000 in a biotech company ahead of a clinical trial’s public results. That single trade alone reportedly produced an $849,000 profit.
The legal consequences for Lewis were significant, though not as severe as some anticipated. In April 2024, he was sentenced by a New York judge to three years of probation and fined $5 million, avoiding prison time. The relatively lenient sentence was influenced by several factors, including Lewis’s advanced age, his cooperation with authorities, and the fact that he did not personally profit from the trades—points highlighted by sources in The Athletic and NewsNation.
The White House, in a statement provided to NBC News and other outlets, explained that Lewis had requested the pardon so he could travel to the United States for medical treatment and to visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "Mr. Lewis admitted he made a terrible mistake, did not fight extradition in the case, and paid a $5 million fine," the official said. The statement also noted that Lewis, who now resides in the Bahamas, had been unable to enter the U.S. since his sentencing, making the pardon not only a legal reprieve but also a personal one.
In his own words, Lewis expressed relief at the outcome. "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," he said in a statement relayed by his spokesperson and reported by BBC, The Athletic, and NewsNation. A source close to the Lewis family added, "Joe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action."
The story of Lewis’s pardon is also intertwined with the recent history of Tottenham Hotspur, one of the English Premier League’s most storied clubs. Lewis purchased a controlling stake in Spurs for £22 million (about $32 million at the time) in 2001, and through his investment vehicle ENIC, the Lewis family trust came to own just over 70% of the club. However, as reported by Companies House and cited by The Athletic, Lewis ceased to be a person of "significant control" at Tottenham in October 2022, transferring majority ownership to his family trust. Since then, his involvement with the club has waned, with his daughter Vivienne Lewis and other family members taking a more hands-on role, especially following the dismissal of executive chairman Daniel Levy in September 2025.
Despite the high-profile legal proceedings, the club’s day-to-day operations remain unaffected by the pardon. "Joe Lewis’ pardon will not change either the organisation of the trust or the running of the club," The Athletic emphasized. Vivienne Lewis, her brother Charles Lewis, and son-in-law Nick Beucher have become regular faces at Spurs matches, continuing the family’s involvement as the team sits fifth in the Premier League table, just eight points behind rivals Arsenal as of November 2025, according to Politico.
The case against Lewis was emblematic of the kind of white-collar crime that often draws both public outrage and, paradoxically, leniency in sentencing. Prosecutors alleged that from 2013 to 2021, Lewis used his privileged access to corporate boardrooms to pass on insider information that led to "sure thing" bets on the stock market, as described by U.S. attorney Damian Williams. Yet, despite the scale of the alleged fraud—sixteen counts of securities fraud and three counts of conspiracy at the time of his 2023 arrest—Lewis’s willingness to admit wrongdoing, pay a substantial fine, and avoid extradition battles played in his favor during plea negotiations.
Mark Herr, Lewis’s attorney, conveyed his client’s remorse at the time of the plea: "Mr. Lewis is deeply sorry, embarrassed, and apologises to the Court, his family, and all those who have come to rely on him." The sentiment was echoed by Lewis himself in his public statement following the pardon.
The decision to pardon Lewis is also part of a broader pattern in Trump’s use of presidential clemency. Since returning to office in January, Trump has issued a flurry of high-profile pardons, including to former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry and the late baseball legend Pete Rose—both convicted of tax evasion—as well as former Congressman George Santos and several lawyers involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. While many of these pardons have been largely symbolic, given that some recipients had not been convicted of federal crimes, others, like Lewis’s, have had immediate and tangible effects.
Trump’s approach to pardons has drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters argue that clemency can offer a second chance to individuals who have shown remorse or have been punished enough, especially when age or health concerns are present. Critics, however, contend that the process has at times appeared arbitrary or influenced by personal connections, high-profile status, or the lobbying efforts of well-connected law firms. The White House, for its part, insists that each pardon is considered on its merits, and Lewis’s case was no exception.
As for Lewis, the pardon closes a tumultuous chapter in a long and varied business career. From building a global investment empire to weathering the storm of federal prosecution, he now looks forward to retirement, family, and watching his legacy continue—on and off the football pitch. For Tottenham Hotspur and its fans, the club’s future remains firmly in the hands of the next generation of the Lewis family, with the elder statesman content to watch from the sidelines.
The episode serves as a reminder of the complex interplay between wealth, power, and justice—and the enduring impact of presidential clemency on those at the very top.
