Trump-promoted gas chain ties lead to Blue Owl and disputed operators
Records reviewed by AP show Blue Owl owns about a third of Freedom Fuel sites, while several locations are tied to brothers with civil judgments.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
5 min read
President Donald Trump has promoted Freedom Fuel Network, a new Philadelphia-area gas station chain selling fuel at $3.47 a gallon, a price pitched as a tribute to the 47th president. The promotion drew attention because records reviewed by The Associated Press show a complex set of business ties behind the 25-station venture.
The chain opened last month and was praised by Trump before the July Fourth travel period, as oil prices rose amid the war with Iran, according to AP. Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 1 that a retailer in the Northeast was lowering prices, and the White House later posted a video from the first Freedom Fuel station showing customers thanking him outside a flag-covered store.
AP reported that the first station, in Dresher, Pennsylvania, is owned by a subsidiary of Blue Owl Capital. Trump previously reported owning as much as $25 million in Blue Owl stock, though his latest financial disclosure says he has sold nearly all of that holding.
The White House said Trump had no personal connection to Freedom Fuel and said the administration had not financed the company. It also acknowledged talks with people involved in setting up the network, but declined to detail how the project came together.
In a statement, the White House said the administration was not involved in the company and had not provided funding. It also said no outside entity or person was subsidizing the lower gasoline prices.
Records point to several operators
Blue Owl told AP it owns about one-third of the Freedom Fuel properties. The investment firm said it leases the stores to independent operators and is not part of tenants’ business decisions or daily operations.
AP linked 14 of the 25 Freedom Fuel locations to companies associated with brothers Shamikh and Syed Kazmi. State records and people familiar with the businesses, who spoke anonymously to AP, showed Shamikh Kazmi leases eight of those stations from Blue Owl. AP connected the brothers to six more stations through records showing those addresses were used for other ventures or supplied with fuel.
A White House official, speaking anonymously to AP, said no White House personnel involved in discussions with Freedom Fuel had specifically spoken or worked with Syed Kazmi. AP said that statement indicated the talks involved Shamikh Kazmi.
The Kazmi brothers did not provide comment to AP. A man who answered a number listed for them said he was not the right contact and directed questions to the Freedom Fuel website, which AP said listed no phone number, mailing address or contact information beyond an online form.
Past lawsuits and judgments
Court records cited by AP show the Kazmis have faced repeated civil claims from companies that did business with them. In February, a federal judge in New Jersey ordered the brothers to pay more than $600,000 to a fuel supplier that accused them of unlawfully taking gasoline.
The supplier alleged the brothers were cut off after refusing to sign a new contract, then used a security lapse to access a fuel depot. Court filings said tanker trucks took more than 230,000 gallons over 10 days in August 2021, and the judge ruled for the supplier. The supplier told AP it had not been paid.
Syed Kazmi also faced a $380,000 judgment two years ago in a case brought by 7-Eleven, according to AP. The company accused him of misconduct at a Lawrenceville, New Jersey, franchise that had been cited for unsanitary conditions, including trash problems and rodents, and said cigarettes bought on credit had disappeared.
In a separate case, a federal judge held a company run by Shamikh Kazmi in contempt in 2022 after BP America said its signs remained at a station after the business relationship ended and a court ordered their removal. The judge allowed U.S. Marshals to accompany BP workers to take down the signage, AP reported.
Company formed in Delaware
Freedom Fuel Network was registered in Delaware on June 23, according to records reviewed by AP. The formation document was signed by Randy Brown and Yoni Gontownik.
Politico and The Newsground reported that Brown is a senior special teams coach for the Baltimore Ravens. AP noted that Brown, a Republican and former mayor of Evesham Township, New Jersey, considered a congressional run in 2021 and described himself to a local newspaper as a conservative Trump supporter.
Gontownik is a former investment director at Mercuria, a Swiss-owned commodities trading company, according to AP. He and his wife have been active with NORPAC, a pro-Israel political action committee, including hosting fundraisers for Republican members of Congress. Neither Brown nor Gontownik responded to AP’s requests for comment.
Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, told AP the $3.47 price likely meant Freedom Fuel was selling gasoline at a loss. He said retailers sometimes cut prices for short promotional bursts, usually lasting hours or days.
AP reported that social media posts and gas-price tracking sites showed Freedom Fuel prices began rising this week. A Bensalem, Pennsylvania, location was selling regular gas for $3.82 a gallon on Thursday, 27 cents below a Sunoco station across the street.
Freedom Fuel posted a statement on its website thanking Trump for what it called his strong endorsement and saying the chain was lowering prices to benefit its community. The company also dismissed what it called misinformation and baseless speculation.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.