McClendon’s Attorneys Call it “Prosecutorial Overreach”—-Say He’s Innocent

Oklahoma oilman Aubrey McClendon vows to fight the Oklahoma City federal grand jury indictment of bid-rigging returned against him and professes his innocence. In a statement issued Tuesday night, the President of American Energy Partners and former executive at Chesapeake Energy called the charge “wrong and unprecedented.”

“I have been singled out as the only person in the oil and gas industry in over 110 years since the Sherman Act became law, to have been accused of this crime in relation to joint bidding on leasehold. 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,” continued McClendon. “I am proud of my track record in this industry and I will fight to prove my innocence and to clear my name.”

McClendon, one of the owners of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team said he has worked his life to create jobs in Oklahoma, grow its economy and to provide abundant and affordable energy to all Americans.

His lead attorney, Abbe Lowell of Chadbourne and Parke and Emmet Flood of Williams and Connolly also issued a statement.

“The Justice Department has taken business practices well-known in the Oklahoma and American energy industries that were intended to, and did in fact, enhance competition and lower energy costs and twisted those business practices to allege an antitrust violation that did not occur,” stated Lowell and Flood. “In response to criticism of their past charging practices and in the name of a new policy to be tough on individuals, the prosecutors have wrongfully singled out Aubrey McClendon and have wrongly charged an innocent man.”

The lawyers said a charge is one thing and proving the case is another.

“Starting today, Aubrey gets his day in court where we will show that this prosecutorial overreach was completely unjustified,” concluded Lowell and Flood.