Former Seattle Sonics, current OKC Thunder part-owner indicted

OKLAHOMA CITY — Aubrey McClendon, who is part-owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was indicted Tuesday for conspiring to rig bids to buy oil and natural gas leases in northwest Oklahoma.

McClendon, along with Clay Bennett, owned part of the Seattle Super Sonics before the team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. Bennett owns a majority of the team.

The Department of Justice said in a statement that McClendon is suspected of orchestrating the scheme between two large energy companies 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.

The indictment, which does not name the companies involved in the scheme McClendon is alleged to have orchestrated, was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Leasehold interests usually include the right to develop the land and to extract oil and natural gas for a period of time, typically three to five years.

McClendon, the former chief executive of Chesapeake Energy Corp., stepped down in 2013 at Chesapeake and founded American Energy Partners, where he currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group