Lawsuit claims Trump's Freedom Fuel stations were selling gas a supplier never got paid for

Mansfield Oil Company has filed a federal lawsuit against businessman Syed Kazmi and his company KRSM, alleging they obtained more than 1.1 million gallons of fuel worth roughly $4 million and failed to pay for it. The suit claims KRSM sold a portion of this fuel to stations operating under the Freedom Fuel Network, which gained national attention after President Donald Trump promoted them in July. The Georgia-based supplier brought the case before the Eastern Pennsylvania federal district court on Aug. 19, alleging that KRSM withdrew the fuel from a Pennsylvania terminal over a roughly two-month window spanning May through July. Mansfield issued updated invoices to KRSM on July 17, yet the outstanding balance had still not been settled as of Aug. 17, and the company's bank advised that KRSM had refused its draft requests. A federal judge on Aug. 28 partially granted Mansfield's motion for a preliminary injunction, requiring the defendants to maintain at least $2.75 million in a bank account. Syed Kazmi's legal representative, Mauro Tucci, disputes the allegations, calling it an accounting dispute over fuel invoices mis-priced by Mansfield Oil. The White House stated the administration has had no contact or dealings with KRSM or Syed Kazmi, and a source familiar with the Freedom Fuel business told The Hill that neither KRSM nor Syed Kazmi is associated with the gas station network. Freedom Fuel launched in early July across its 25 Pennsylvania and New Jersey stations, pricing fuel at $3.47 per gallon, a figure that undercut what competing stations in the area were charging at the time. Trump praised the network on Truth Social, urging other retailers to follow its lead. Freedom Fuel now operates 29 locations, all in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

(Source：Quartz)