Oakes Farms’ former CEO said he relocated to California because he “feared for his life and his family’s safety” due to his cooperation with the federal government in a fraud investigation involving Oakes Farms owner Francis A. “Alfie” Oakes III and others.
The admission appears in a federal civil lawsuit Oakes filed against Steven A. Veneziano Jr., 37, who worked for Oakes since 2013, including as president and manager and as vice president of South Florida Produce. It is the first time court records have cited Oakes’ alleged role by name, although earlier filings clearly allege he orchestrated the fraud. In plea agreements, Oakes is identified as “Entity 1,” “Co-Conspirator 1” and “Farm Enterprise 1,” which owns farming, packing, shipping, retail, food-service, and seafood distribution businesses.
Veneziano’s response, filed Jan. 13 in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers by Miami attorney Susan Warner, states the federal government was kept informed of his residence and relocation at all times.
“He left Florida and moved to the other side of the country due to fears for his own safety,” the response says. “He has no intent to move back to Florida.”
The filing counters Oakes’ claims that Veneziano maintains strong ties to Florida and that the lawsuit should be returned to Collier Circuit Court, noting that “changing domicile does not require that person dispose of all property, cease all business and personal relationships and flee the state, never to return again.”
Veneziano pleaded guilty last August as part of a continuing fraud investigation involving Oakes Farms and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges tied to the Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which provided aid to farmers during the pandemic. He admitted that he and at least four others defrauded the program out of more than $5.18 million by falsifying crop yields. His sentencing is scheduled for March 23.
“This frivolous lawsuit was filed against our client to promote a false narrative to the public that Mr. Veneziano stole from Oakes Farms,” Veneziano’s criminal attorney, Nicole Hughes Waid, a former federal prosecutor, said this week. “Let me be clear: Mr. Veneziano did not steal from Oakes Farms; he stole for Oakes Farms.”
Veneziano is among seven defendants — including other Oakes employees — who have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate. Two Immokalee harvesters were the first to be sentenced to federal prison and began serving two-year terms in November, to be followed by two years of supervised release. All defendants were ordered to reimburse millions of dollars to the government, and several have already paid. Veneziano sold his house and gold and silver bars and has paid $638,357.18 of the $1,157,412.18 he was ordered to forfeit.
Court records show the harvesters were among at least four people who conspired with Veneziano in that scheme, which prosecutors say was one of several allegedly orchestrated by Oakes. Other programs cited in court filings include the Department of Defense Fresh Program, the Federal Crop Insurance Program, the Defense Logistics Agency, the USDA Farm Service Agency, and the Emergency Relief Program. The investigation is ongoing.
Oakes has not been charged and has not responded to requests for comment.
The investigation became public in November 2024, when federal agents raided Oakes’ North Naples home and an Immokalee packing plant. Throughout 2025, seven defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate.
On Oct. 31, Oakes Farms Inc., Oakes Farm OP (Operating Partners) LLC and South Florida LLC sued Veneziano, alleging he stole $12.5 million from the companies to fund a gambling habit and a lavish lifestyle. The lawsuit also names two now-dissolved companies, Veneziano Farms LLC and Veneziano Property Management LLC, as defendants. It accuses Veneziano of fraud, conversion, money laundering, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment from 2022 through November 2024 and seeks the return of all illegally obtained assets or traceable proceeds.
Veneziano’s response says he formed Veneziano Farms in July 2018 at Oakes’ request.
“Veneziano Farms was a sham company that was involved in committing fraud since its inception and is related to the ongoing fraud investigation involving Oakes Farms,” the filing states.
Earlier this month, Veneziano moved to dismiss five of the lawsuit’s six counts, leaving a single claim alleging he breached his fiduciary duties by acting disloyally and failing to put Oakes’ company interests above his own.
After Veneziano moved the case to federal court last month, both sides began disputing whether it should remain there under “diversity jurisdiction,” which allows federal courts to hear civil cases involving more than $75,000 when plaintiffs and defendants are residents of different states.
Oakes’ private investigator cited what he described as Veneziano’s ongoing Florida ties, including ownership of Southwest Florida property, an active Florida driver’s license, a pilot’s license, voter registration, and a pending criminal case in the state.
Veneziano’s response says his wife and children moved to California in the summer of 2024, where she obtained a job and enrolled their children in school. Veneziano relocated in November 2024 and obtained a California driver’s license in April 2025, acknowledging it was issued more than 10 days after state law requires, because he wanted to minimize public records. He and his family live in Coronado, though he used a Bakersfield address on the license because he “feared for his life and his family’s safety.”
The filing states Veneziano opened a California bank account in May 2025 and obtained employment there. It also states he attempted to surrender his Florida driver’s license in California; is prohibited from voting as a convicted felon; his wife purchased their California home; he liquidated his Florida businesses and closed bank accounts; and his pilot’s license is inactive due to an overdue medical exam. Veneziano also acknowledged owning a small parcel of land in Cape Coral that he said he forgot about.
Waid, his criminal attorney, said Veneziano acknowledged his participation in defrauding the federal government, pled guilty, and accepted full responsibility for his actions.
“But he did not act alone,” she said, adding that he continues to cooperate fully with federal prosecutors and law enforcement to ensure everyone who defrauds the federal government is held accountable.
“We are confident that the full truth will be revealed. We are also confident that the facts will absolve Mr. Veneziano of the allegations in this lawsuit. We will not engage in frivolous court filings, bullying tactics or theatrics; we will rely on the facts and evidence.”
Oakes’ attorney, Joseph Davidow, has declined to comment on the pending lawsuit but has said the “fraud and breach of trust came as a shock to the company. … The company looks forward to proceeding with the case, recovering its damages, and putting this episode behind it as it continues to focus on its goal of serving the Southwest Florida community.”