Former Oakes Farms exec’s sentencing delayed again

A federal judge has once again pushed back the sentencing date for Steven A. Veneziano Jr., the former Oakes Farms executive who pleaded guilty to Covid fraud and claims he did it at the behest of his then-boss Alfie Oakes.

District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell agreed Friday to move Venziano’s day of reckoning from July 26 to Oct. 26. The decision came after his attorney and federal prosecutors filed a joint motion June 3 saying they “believe that additional information that the court should consider at the time of Mr. Veneziano’s sentencing has not been, and will not be, fully developed by the currently scheduled sentencing date.”

What the information is wasn’t disclosed, but Veneziano is working with federal authorities in an ongoing investigation as part of a plea deal.

This is the third time Veneziano’s sentencing has been delayed. Before the July 26 date was set, he was scheduled first for a Nov. 17, 2024, hearing and then one on March 23.

Veneziano pleaded guilty last year to one charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stemmed from a case involving a $5.18 million fraud against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food and Assistance Program.

Each count carries a potential 20 years prison sentence.

In addition to the criminal charges, Veneziano is embroiled in a lawsuit with his former employees, a lawsuit that accuses him of stealing millions from Oakes Farms. He has countered that he was working on behalf of company owner and political provocateur Alfie Oakes.

Rather than stealing from Oakes, Veneziano claims in court records that he was stealing for Oakes.

Oakes Farms is an agribusiness with just under 3,000 acres of farmland in Collier, where it grows fruits and vegetables. It also owns the popular Seed-to-Table farm market on Immokalee Road in Naples.