Aubrey McClendon, a natural gas industry titan, was killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash in Oklahoma City, a day after he was indicted on a charge of conspiring to rig bids to buy oil and natural gas leases in northwest Oklahoma.
McClendon, 56, also a part-owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, was the only occupant in the sport utility vehicle when it slammed into a concrete bridge pillar shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday.
In 2013, McClendon stepped down from Chesapeake Energy and founded American Energy Partners, where he was chairman and CEO.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that McClendon was suspected of orchestrating a scheme between two large energy companies, which are not named in the indictment, from December 2007 to March 2012.
The companies would decide ahead of time who would win bids, with the winner then allocating an interest in the leases to the other company, according to the statement.
McClendon denied the charges.
“Anyone who knows me, my business record and the industry in which I have worked for 35 years knows that I could not be guilty of violating any antitrust laws,” he wrote in a statement Tuesday. “All my life I have worked to create jobs in Oklahoma, grow its economy, and to provide abundant and affordable energy to all Americans. I am proud of my track record in this industry, and I will fight to prove my innocence and to clear my name.”
