Mystery Freedom Fuel stations that sold discounted gasoline tied to NFL coach and commodities trader

A pair of New Jersey businessmen — including an NFL assistant coach — with connections to Republican politics were involved in forming a mysterious network of Philadelphia-area gas stations offering discount prices, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.

Baltimore Ravens senior special teams coach Randy Brown and former commodities trader Yoni Gontownik signed the certificate of formation to incorporate the Freedom Fuels Network LLC on June 23, just a week before President Donald Trump touted it on social media.

The network of 25 stations offered discounts of up to 50 cents per gallon around Independence Day, prompting questions as to who was behind the effort and how it could sell gas well below market rate in the area. Despite promoting the network, the White House has declined to reveal who is behind it, saying only that it is a private company willing to take a hit on its profit margins to help American drivers struggling with high prices following the war in Iran.

Brown, who is also the former mayor of Evesham Township, New Jersey, has flirted with running for higher office as a Republican several times. He launched a political action committee to explore a gubernatorial run in 2016 and mulled a bid for Congress in 2021, calling himself a “proud Trump supporter” in a Facebook post, according to the New Jersey Globe.

Brown also runs a title insurance business in Marlton, New Jersey. A person familiar with Freedom Fuel Network confirmed that the Randy Brown on the document is the coach and former mayor.

Gontownik is a former investment director at the global commodity trading firm Mercuria. He and his wife Bellene have hosted fundraisers in New Jersey for several prominent GOP lawmakers through the pro-Israel political action committee NORPAC, according to a website archive.

Neither Brown nor Gontownik responded to multiple requests for comment. Investigative news outlet The Newsground was the first to report the two men’s involvement.

A third New Jersey businessman, Shamikh Kazmi, who has been involved in a range of fuel retail and distribution businesses along the East Coast, also appears to be linked to the Freedom Fuel Network.

Freedom Fuel Network did not respond to a request for comment on the involvement of the three men. It posted a statement to its website Friday offering additional details on the initiative but not identifying any of the people behind it.

Kazmi is listed as the authorized operator of 17 New Jersey gas stations — including five in the Freedom Fuel Network — that are owned by the publicly traded asset manager Blue Owl, according to a letter the firm submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection last October.

Blue Owl bought those stations in 2021 as part of a planned expansion by Georgia-based retailer Mountain Express Oil, which has since gone bankrupt. Kazmi’s name begins appearing in records as an operator after that bankruptcy. Blue Owl previously told POLITICO in a statement that the properties are under long-term leases and it has no say over its tenants’ operations or business decisions.

Kazmi, who previously operated franchise gas stations with his brother, announced a $60 million plan earlier this year to develop a chain of restaurants called Yum Grills at gas stations in the Philadelphia area, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. Only one of the restaurants appears to be open so far, but Kazmi told the outlet in February that he would soon open one at 3201 Ridge Pike in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, which is now a Freedom Fuel Network station.

A man who answered the phone at the number Kazmi has listed on state filings referred questions to the Freedom Fuel Network website. Kazmi did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

Kazmi has been involved in several federal lawsuits in recent years over his business practices in the fuel industry.

A federal judge entered judgment in February in favor of a fuel distributor that alleged in a civil lawsuit that Kazmi’s company had taken roughly $667,000 worth of fuel over 10 days in August 2021 without fully paying for it. Kazmi denied the allegations, but the court entered a default judgment after what the judge described as the defendants and their lawyers’ “serial flouting of Court orders and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure” during the case.

In a separate federal case, a judge ruled in January that Kazmi’s company had failed to pay more than $700,000 in rent at 17 stations it operated in Florida and that the franchisor lawfully terminated franchise agreements. Kazmi argued that his company had been unable to pay the rent because the franchisor withheld credit-card proceeds during a contract dispute.

The website for one of Kazmi’s companies, the Universal Group Company, says it is a “top tier” petroleum distributor, retail operator and real estate developer, with more than 500 locations.

Freedom Fuel Network said in the statement posted to its website that it is a “privately owned and proudly patriotic company—along with its convenience store operators, haulers, sign companies, and operational partners—that answered President Trump’s call to action to lower prices at the pump.”

It said that its 25 stations have averaged a 50 percent increase in volume since lowering prices, with some stations up 100 percent.

“Despite the misinformation and baseless speculation circulating, let us set the record straight: Freedom Fuel Network is proudly lowering its prices to benefit our community and strengthen our local economy,” the statement reads. “Just like the President, we remain committed to putting America First!”

Ry Rivard contributed to this report.