Key facts
- A lawsuit alleges that gas stations promoted by Donald Trump sold stolen fuel.
- Fuel supplier Mansfield Oil Co. claims KRSM, a company linked to Syed Kazmi, acquired over $4 million in fuel without payment.
- The lawsuit states KRSM sold some of this unpaid fuel to stations within the Freedom Fuel Network.
- KRSM denies the allegations, characterizing the case as an accounting dispute.
- Companies associated with Shamikh Kazmi, Syed's brother, have faced prior legal action for alleged fuel theft.
A lawsuit filed by Georgia-based fuel supplier Mansfield Oil Co. alleges that gas stations promoted by Donald Trump as part of the Freedom Fuel Network have been selling stolen fuel. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, claims that KRSM, a company linked to Syed Kazmi, acquired over 1 million gallons of fuel valued at approximately $4 million from a Sunoco terminal and failed to pay for it.
According to the lawsuit, KRSM then sold some of this allegedly unpaid fuel to stations within the Freedom Fuel Network, which currently operates 29 locations. The complaint states that KRSM was able to sell the fuel at low prices and gain publicity because it never paid the plaintiffs for it.
KRSM has disputed the allegations, calling the case an "accounting dispute over fuel invoices misplaced by Mansfield Oil" and stating they will not comment further on the pending litigation. A message sent to Freedom Fuel via its website was not returned, and calls to Mansfield's lawyer were not immediately returned. Neither Shamikh Kazmi nor Mansfield immediately responded to requests for comment.
A White House official stated that the administration has had "zero contact or dealings" with KRSM or Syed Kazmi. A source familiar with the Freedom Fuel business also indicated that KRSM and Syed Kazmi are not associated with the Freedom Fuel Network in any capacity.
Companies associated with Shamikh Kazmi, Syed's brother, have previously been involved in lawsuits alleging fraudulent activity and theft. In one instance, a federal judge entered a default judgment against Shamikh Kazmi's company for approximately $667,000 in unpaid fuel over 10 days in August 2021, citing the defendants' and their lawyers' "serial flouting of Court orders and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure."