Mansfield Oil sues KRSM over alleged $4 million fuel theft linked to Freedom Fuel Network

Mansfield Oil Company of Gainesville filed a lawsuit on August 19 accusing KRSM Inc. and its president, Syed Kazmi, of taking roughly 1.1 million gallons of gasoline – valued at just under $4 million – between May 21 and July 7 without paying for the fuel. The suit says KRSM resold some of the gasoline to stations operating under the Freedom Fuel Network, a private chain with 29 locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that was highlighted by President Donald Trump for offering low-price gas during the summer travel season.

The complaint states that KRSM was able to offer the fuel at unusually low prices because it never settled the invoices from Mansfield Oil. A data error delayed Mansfield’s initial invoicing until early July; revised invoices were sent later, and the company began attempting to withdraw payment on July 27. According to the filing, KRSM’s bank rejected the drafts, and despite phone conversations in which Kazmi promised payment, no funds had been received as of August 17.

A White House official said the administration had no contact or dealings with KRSM or Kazmi, and a source familiar with the Freedom Fuel business confirmed that the supplier was not affiliated with the discount-fuel chain. KRSM’s legal counsel, Mauro Tucci, described the case as an “accounting dispute over fuel invoices mis-priced by Mansfield Oil.”

Gasoline prices have risen in August as diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran have stalled, adding pressure to the market amid the ongoing controversy.