Russian Oil Trader Litasco Loses Houston Trio Amid Sanctions (1)

Lukoil PJSC’s trading arm in the Americas lost at least three energy traders in the past month as international sanctions cast a pall over the Russian oil company’s ability to continue trading in the U.S.

J.P. Tramontana, Jerad Cassalia and James Hutchinson left the Houston office in April, according to people with knowledge of the situation. All of them worked for Lukoil Pan Americas LLC, a subsidiary of Litasco SA, Lukoil’s trading arm based in Geneva.

While Lukoil hasn’t itself been sanctioned, some oil traders have been avoiding doing business with Russia’s second-largest energy company for fear that ...