Tulsa, Oklahoma – Jeffrey A. Bradley of Bixby, Oklahoma, has been penalized for his role in a natural gas price manipulation scheme, according to a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announcement made June 26, 2007. Bradley, a former employee of CMS Field Services, Inc., was charged with reporting false trade information to price index compilers in an attempt to artificially influence natural gas prices.
The CFTC filed a lawsuit against Bradley and Robert L. Martin of Tulsa on February 1, 2005. The complaint detailed that between January 2001 and October 2002, Bradley submitted inaccurate price and volume information to publications including Platts’ The Inside FERC Gas Market Report and Platts’ Gas Daily. The alleged goal was to manipulate the price of natural gas traded in interstate commerce.
On May 25, 2007, U.S. District Court Judge James H. Payne entered a consent order requiring Bradley to pay a $100,000 civil monetary penalty. The order also permanently bars Bradley from seeking registration or working in any capacity requiring registration with the CFTC, or acting as a principal of any registered entity.
Robert L. Martin, also a former CMS Field Services employee, was also penalized in connection with the scheme. The court order entered on June 25, 2007, requires Martin to pay a $25,000 civil penalty. He is prohibited from engaging in CFTC-regulated activities for a period of three years.
According to the CFTC, Martin coordinated with Bradley on one occasion in July 2002 to provide false information to a natural gas index concerning a specific pipeline, further contributing to the attempted price manipulation. The case was led by CFTC staff members James A. Garcia, Michael Solinsky, Glenn Chernigoff, Kevin Batteh, Gretchen L. Lowe, and Vincent A. McGonagle.
Source: CFTC.gov
Related Federal Cases
- First National Bank of Lindsay, Bank Failure, Oklahoma, 2023 · California
- Naiqing Lin Faces Federal Charges in Oklahoma Scheme, Oklahoma City… · Washington
- Ken Paxton Blocked Texas Land Seizure, Oklahoma OK, 2025 · Texas
- Israa Jafar Ali, Conspiracy to Make a Terrorist Hoax, Oklahoma City… · Texas
- Tony Washington Sentenced for Major Drug Distribution in Oklahoma · Washington
