The election totals stink like year-old rotten cheese. Perhaps this is about sketchy finances; or perhaps it's about the election.
Influential conservative activist and grocery chain owner Alfie Oakes had his Collier County estate raided by federal agents, according to media reports.
Federal agents from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service were also seen at a packing plant owned by Oakes, according to WESH, the local NBC-2 affiliate. Meanwhile, unmarked state and local police cars surrounded Oakes’ North Naples home in the Villages of Monterey.
A new lawsuit also filed against Oakes this week alleges he failed to pay $4.5 million worth of loans from Farm Credit of Florida, WESH reports.
Florida Highway Patrol officers seen at the home directed questions from media to the Secret Service, according to the Naples Daily News.
John Meo, Chair of the Collier County Republican Executive Committee, suggested federal officials were targeting Oakes for political reasons.
“We know they showed up and took some material,” he said. “It’s kind of funny that they’re doing it now. I think they want to get info on Jan. 6.” Meo told the newspaper.
But of note, the investigation was happening immediately after Republican Donald Trump won election, and Trump has suggested he would pardon individuals involved in the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Oakes was a prominent promulgator of conspiracy theories that the 2020 Presidential Election, which President Joe Biden won over Trump, was stolen. During an appearance on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ InfoWars show, Oakes publicly offered a $100,000 donation to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election campaign if DeSantis ordered an audit of Florida’s election results, even though Trump won the state’s electoral votes.
At one point, Oakes was rumored to be considering a statewide run for Agriculture Commissioner, but he has seen his influence wane locally. He failed to qualify in time to run for re-election as Collier County’s Republican State Committeeman, as one example. He supported another candidate for Supervisor of Elections, but that candidate lost. His choice for Superintendent of Schools was also not hired by the Collier County School Board.