The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ALBANY developer Joe Lewis has received a presidential pardon from US President Donald Trump, clearing the way for The Bahamas-based billionaire to re-enter the United States after pleading guilty to insider trading last year.

The New York Times reported that Lewis — the British investor behind Albany, the luxury marina community in southwestern New Providence — was granted the pardon to allow him access to medical treatment and to visit his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the US.

Lewis, whose family controls the vast majority of the shareholding in English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, admitted in a New York court in 2024 to charges of insider trading. He was fined US$5m and given probation, avoiding prison time. The NYT said prosecutors noted he did not personally profit from the stock-trading tips at the centre of the case, and that his age — 88 — was among the factors considered.

The pardon lifts restrictions that had prevented him from travelling to the United States since his sentencing, according to the report.

Despite his high-profile ties to Tottenham, the NYT said the pardon will not change the ownership structure of the club or Lewis’s position. He stepped away from any formal controlling role in 2022, and management of the team’s affairs is now largely handled by his daughter, Vivienne Lewis, along with other relatives.

Lewis said in a statement that he was relieved to put the criminal case behind him and looked forward to retirement while his family continued to oversee their global business interests.

The report noted that the pardon is one in a growing list granted by President Trump since returning to office, following recent high-profile clemency decisions involving former congressman George Santos and retired baseball star Darryl Strawberry.

Lewis pleaded guilty in early 2024 to a conspiracy charge and two securities-fraud counts after admitting he tipped associates about confidential corporate information. His lawyer previously said Lewis was ashamed of the conduct and had apologised to the court and his family.