Friday, July 10, 2026, at a Freedom Fuel Network gas station in Drescher, Pennsylvania.
Matt Rourke | AP Photo
Freedom Fuel Network made national headlines in July when President Donald Trump praised the gas station chain for selling fuel at deep discounts. The lawsuit by the Georgia-based fuel supplier alleges that it was not paid for some of the gas sold through its network.
Gainesville-based Mansfield Oil said in a federal lawsuit filed Aug. 19 that businessman Saeed Kazmi and his company, KRSM, obtained more than 1.1 million gallons of fuel from a supply terminal in Pennsylvania between May and July. The lawsuit alleges that Mansfield sent an invoice for about $4 million worth of fuel in July that went unpaid.
The complaint further alleges that KRSM sold some of the fuel to Freedom Fuel Network stations. The lawsuit does not name Freedom Fuel Network as a defendant or accuse the company of wrongdoing.
In early July, Freedom Fuel sold gasoline at 25 stations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for $3.47 a gallon to commemorate President Donald Trump’s status as the 47th president. This is a significant discount compared to prices at other stands in the area.
President Trump touted the move as proof that American consumers would soon return to “record low prices,” despite soaring fuel prices in the wake of the U.S.-Iranian war.
On July 1, President Trump posted on Truth Social: “On July 3, the Freedom Fuel Network will be lowering gas prices at 25 Freedom Fuel stations in Greater Philadelphia.” “This retailer is leading the way and other retailers should follow. They’re doing this because they love America.”
Mr Mansfield claims that unpaid fuel contributed to at least some discounted sales.
“KRSM was able to sell such fuel at such low prices and gain such publicity because it never paid Plaintiffs for such fuel,” the complaint states.
On Aug. 28, the judge overseeing the case partially granted Mansfield’s request for a preliminary injunction and ordered the defendants to maintain bank account balances of at least $2.75 million, according to court records.
The lawsuit does not specify how much of the $4 million worth of gasoline went to Freedom Fuel Station, nor does it indicate whether the station is connected to KRSM or Kazumi.
At least six Freedom Fuel stores in New Jersey are controlled by Saeed Kazmi’s brother, Shamik Kazmi, according to Politico.
Mauro Tucci, KRSM’s legal representative, said the issue boils down to discrepancies in the invoices.
“KRSM disputes the allegations in this lawsuit, which is an accounting dispute over the mispricing of fuel invoices by Mansfield Oil,” he said in an email to CNBC. “We will not be commenting further on this pending litigation.”
White House officials told CNBC that the administration had no contact or business with the defendants. Freedom Fuel Network did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Read the full Politico article here.
