Chesapeake Energy boss Aubrey McClendon dies in car crash

The former chief executive of Chesapeake Energy was killed in a car crash on Wednesday , one day after he was accused of fixing bids for oil and gas leases.

Police reported Aubrey McClendon, 56, was the only person in the vehicle when it smashed into a concrete pillar.

He was charged on Tuesday with conspiring with two energy companies to rig the price of oil and gas contracts.

Mr McClendon, who stepped down from Chesapeake in 2013, denied the charges.

In a statement on Tuesday, he said: "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."

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, but said the car was burned so badly it was difficult to tell if Mr McClendon was wearing a seatbelt.

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma City police did say the former energy boss "drove straight into the wall".

Anti-trust charges

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice accused Mr McClendon of having been involved in an anti-trust scheme between 2007 and 2012.

The scheme involved two companies - which the Justice Department did not name - deciding who would have the winning bid for oil and gas lessees ahead of the offer and than splitting the contract after it was awarded.

Mr McClendon stepped down as the head of Chesapeake Energy in 2013 amid a concerns about his heavy spending and a shakeup in the company's corporate governance. He is considered one of the fathers of the US fracking industry.

He went on to found American Energy Partners where he served as chairman and chief executive. He was also a partial owner of the US basketball team the Oklahoma City Thunder.