Alfie Oakes pursues triple damages in fraud lawsuit

Facing dismissal, mega-grocer Francis “Alfie” Oakes III amended his fraud lawsuit against his former acting CEO and president, adding numerous details and seeking triple damages for at least $12.5 million allegedly stolen to fund his “lavish lifestyle” and alleged gambling addiction. 

U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell gave Oakes’ legal team until April 13 to amend the lawsuit after she dismissed claims a month earlier against two of Steven A. Veneziano Jr.’s dissolved companies, Veneziano Farms LLC and Veneziano Property Management LLC, leaving only claims against Veneziano. The counts were dismissed without prejudice, allowing Oakes to fix errors the judge cited, and he met the deadline. 

Veneziano, whom Oakes says served as the de facto CEO and president of Oakes Farms, worked for him since 2013, including as manager and vice president of South Florida Produce, until pleading guilty last August to federal fraud charges tied to a broader criminal investigation into Oakes Farms entities. Veneziano dissolved his companies a month later. 

The amended lawsuit, filed by Oakes Farms Inc., Oakes Farm OP LLC and South Florida LLC, alleges that Veneziano used his position of authority to gain unrestricted access and exploit it, stealing millions by manipulating invoices, forging checks, wiring funds to his personal accounts and diverting payments owed to the plaintiffs. 

“Veneziano also charged more than $500,000 of personal charges to plaintiffs’ corporate credit cards,” the lawsuit alleges. “To be clear, this is not a case where an employee charged a questionable meal or family outing — no, Veneziano paid for gambling trips to Las Vegas and subscriptions to pornographic websites. Not satisfied with his current vehicle, Veneziano also purchased a 2023 Lincoln Navigator for his personal use using plaintiffs’ funds.” 

Oakes sued Veneziano following a criminal investigation that became public when federal agents raided Oakes’ North Naples home and an Immokalee packing plant in November 2024. So far, eight defendants, including employees, have pleaded guilty, agreeing to testify against the orchestrator and reimburse the government for millions of dollars illegally gained from federal farm and pandemic programs; two harvesters have been sentenced. Oakes has not been charged, but court documents show co-conspirators and evidence point to him as the orchestrator. 

Veneziano denies claims 

Veneziano’s civil attorney, Susan Warner of Miami, declined to comment, but his criminal attorney, former federal prosecutor Nicole Hughes Waid, called the lawsuit a “false and misleading narrative.” 

“It is blatantly obvious that this false narrative was crafted to taint the public prior to the evidence, and the truth, being revealed,” Waid said. “We wholeheartedly agree with one theme of the amended complaint — there was stealing and there was fraud. However, Mr. Veneziano did not steal from Oakes Farms, he stole for Oakes Farms. 

“Mr. Veneziano has admitted in federal court to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government,” she said. “He has made mistakes, but he is by no means the main villain in this saga, as he is falsely portrayed in this court filing. Justice takes time, but Mr. Veneziano has been diligent in his continued cooperation with the federal government and has remained dedicated to fighting this frivolous lawsuit. We are excited for the facts to finally be revealed to the public. The evidence is overwhelming and far more persuasive than the fiction unjustly being spun.” 

Oakes initially sued Veneziano in state court, but after Veneziano fled to California with his family, telling authorities he feared for his safety, Veneziano moved the legal fight to federal court. Oakes’ local attorney, Joseph A. Davidow, has said his policy is not to comment on pending litigation. He has since been joined by a Fort Lauderdale legal team at Shaw Lewenz: attorneys Jordan A. Shaw, Zachary Ludens, Lauren Palen and John Rutledge. 

The alleged manipulation of records makes it difficult to determine the full extent of the theft, according to the lawsuit, forcing Oakes to spend additional money to untangle the transactions, a process that is still ongoing. 

The lawsuit also claims there are missing cash receipts from multiple entities alongside deposits made around the same time into Veneziano’s personal and business accounts. It alleges Veneziano altered at least 283 invoices in the system to hide the theft, totaling at least $4,212,581.34. 

Checks, signatures forged 

Oakes alleges that after Veneziano became acting president and CEO in 2020, he began forging checks to deposit Oakes Farms funds into his Veneziano Farms bank account, including $607,000 deposited in May and June by forging an authorized signature, transfers made without any discernible or legitimate business purpose. 

Between June 3, 2024, and Oct. 23, 2024, the lawsuit claims he forged at least 29 checks ranging from $50,000 to $1 million, totaling $7,687,241.87, from Oakes Farm OP’s account. Although some “may have been for legitimate business purposes,” the lawsuit states, he signed the checks without proper authorization, demonstrating a “pattern of deceit.” And on Nov. 22, 2021, it alleges, he wired $995,000 from an Oakes Farms account into his personal account and immediately withdrew $1 million. 

The complaint states he funded a cryptocurrency and mining operation in Immokalee, added his wife and friends to the payroll, purchased $3.3 million in properties that he later sold for a profit, and cites a Broward County Sheriff’s Office investigation that showed he was losing six-figure amounts gambling weekly. 

“This was, quite simply, embezzlement of the worst kind. This is, unfortunately, just the tip of the iceberg,” the lawsuit alleges, noting records were altered to hide the theft and fraud. “Plaintiffs continue to pick up the pieces and uncover even more schemes through which Veneziano utilized the Oakes Farms entities as his personal piggy bank.”