Daily Casefile · Verdict
Lot 47 at Clearwater Yards
≈ 6 min
On 11 July 2026, Lot 47 — a 2019 Case IH combine, serial CH150-2019-04471 — sold at Clearwater Yards for $148,500, nearly $22,000 above the pre-auction appraisal of $126,800. The registered buyer, Petra Dunwall, filed a complaint alleging that a second bidder was artificially pushing the price up on behalf of the seller. Auction records show bidder #114 — Marvin Oast, who has a documented business relationship with the seller — drove the final four bid increments before dropping out one step below Dunwall's closing bid. The prosecution contends Oast never intended to purchase the combine and was acting as a shill to inflate the price. The defence argues Oast was a genuine buyer who simply decided the price exceeded his budget. The jury must determine whether the evidence places Oast's bidding inside or outside the bounds of legitimate competition.
Subject
Marvin Oast, owner of Oast Implement Sales and registered bidder #114 at Clearwater Yards
Charged with Shill bidding — conspiring with auctioneer Dale Fench to place artificial bids on Lot 47, a 2019 Case IH Axial-Flow 150 combine harvester, in order to drive the final sale price above true market value
The scene
Clearwater Agricultural Equipment Auction, a sprawling yard outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, present day — rows of combine harvesters, ploughs, and grain wagons under a hot July sun, buyers registered at a folding table near the main gate
The witnesses
- Petra Dunwall — Registered buyer, Lot 47 — cattle farmer from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
- Ray Pilcher — Retired farm equipment appraiser, freelance — no connection to Clearwater Yards
- Gus Torreno — Clearwater Yards gate registrar — checked in all bidders on 11 July
- Dale Fench — Licensed auctioneer, Clearwater Yards — called Lot 47 on 11 July
Play today’s Verdict.
This case first aired on July 20, 2026. A fresh verdict runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.