Oakes Farms $238M contract with Department of Defense could have caused agents to swarm warehouse and home

A man known for his influential role in our community has once again found himself right in the middle of another controversy.

From calling Black Lives Matter a hoax and doubling down on it, to refusing to close his store and mask up during COVID, to getting in arguments with school boards, Alfie Oakes is no stranger to saying what he wants and backing it up.

On Thursday, several law enforcement departments, including the Secret Service, the IRS, and the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, were seen at Oakes Farm packing house and Oakes’ personal home.

• RELATED: Law enforcement presence at Alfie Oakes’ North Naples home and Immokalee packing house

WINK News is trying to understand what reason would warrant three big-name government agencies to swarm Oakes’ home and warehouse.

Kristen Ziman, a retired police chief and WINK’s Safety and Security Specialist, said this situation likely involves financial crimes.

“You’re looking here with these three agencies, specifically the DCIS, the IRS and the Secret Service, you are looking at some sort of financial investigation, some financial malfeasance of some sort,” Ziman said.

Oakes Farm had a contract with the Department of Defense in 2022, managed by the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support. It’s a $238 million contract to supply fresh fruits and veggies to the military and schools in Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

“If federal funds, contracts or resources are involved, these agencies are warranted in investigating to ensure that public funds are safeguarded against potential fraud or misuse. So, the fact that all of them have come together in such a large scale, it does identify some significance here,” said Ziman.

Whether the contract is the reason for the swarm of federal agents or not, one thing is for sure, Ziman said: this collaboration suggests something serious and complex is being investigated.

“They just didn’t go raid the home, you know, out of, you know, just some spare, some sparse information, this investigation has likely been going on for a while, and it’s anyone’s guess for how long, but you know now they have moved to the point where they had enough probable cause to get a warrant for his home, and, you know, for the warehouse tells you that there is a lot of evidence that is mounting and that has probably been collected over some time,” Ziman said.

WINK News has not only found contracts but lawsuits as well.

A 37-page lawsuit filed in Collier County last month claims Oakes farms, Alfie Oakes and his wife defaulted on loans made with Farm Credit of Florida.

The two loans, one for $4 million and another for nearly $500,000 were also both personally guaranteed. The lawsuit seeks to foreclose on the Oakes farm property and asks the court to grant a temporary restraining order so that no property is removed from the farm.

While the timing of this lawsuit may seem connected to the federal raid of Oakes’ warehouse, Ziman noted a lack of connection.

“Multiple federal agencies would not be involved in a civil lawsuit failing to pay back a loan, so there’s obviously something bigger at play here,” Ziman said.

One of the attorneys who filed the suit did confirm to WINK News that there is no connection to the raids that happened Thursday at the warehouse or Oakes’ home.

The Oakeses have not yet responded to the lawsuit.

Ziman also noted that the collaboration between the three agencies could involve tax evasion, money laundering, or financial fraud. Due to the complexity of forensic audits, the case is expected to be lengthy.

WINK News reached out to Oakes again via phone but did not hear back.

The Secret Service wouldn’t comment to us. The DCIS and IRS would not share any further information other than they were on the scene.