Limited-Time eBook Sale!



Straight from my mind to your screen—here’s a collection of my thoughts, from the heartfelt to the odd, and everything in between.



The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #13.
How to Always Win Yo-Yo Contests.

Alfonso "Fonso" Gravenese, AKA The Salad Oil King, loved to gamble….on sure things. Growing up, Yo-Yo contests were held daily in Little Italy. The entry fee was 5 cents per play. Fonso knew his opponents were bigger and older, but he had a streak of larceny in his ice water veins. Minutes... Learn More

DATE: Mar.19.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #24.
How to Create Obscene Profits in the Black Market.

During World War II every American contributed to the war effort by receiving and using ration stamps to ensure everyone shared the pain. But, there were those like Alfonso "Fonso" Gravenese and his Mafia cronies who made a handsome profit in the black marketing of goods and services through the use of... Learn More

DATE: Mar.18.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #4.
How to Overcharge Customers for Fresh Fish

When Alfonso "Fonso" Gravenese, AKA The Salad Oil King, was a 9-year old kid, his father asked him to help sell fresh fish from his ice-filled cart after school to their neighbors on Spring Street in Little Italy. "Fonso" quickly learned if he stuffed ice into the fish's mouth with some of the... Learn More

DATE: Mar.17.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #31.
How to Control the Worldwide Price of Vegetable Oil

Alfonso "Fonso" Gravenese obsession with the accumulation of wealth knew few bounds. By the 1950's he had scammed more than half a billion dollars from government do-good programs. With that war chest, he would create the "Mona Lisa" of white-collar scams. Fonso traveled offering then developing third world countries like Egypt, Argentina,... Learn More

DATE: Feb.24.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #32.
How to Cheat School Children out of a Free Lunch.

It was a simple, despicable, immoral elegant scheme. Alfonso Alfonso" Gravenese, AKA The Salad Oil King, paid off government officials to get awarded contracts to provide underprivileged kids with a balanced free lunch. Then to reimburse himself for the bribes and make a crapload of "bonus" profits, Fonso reduced his operating costs by... Learn More

DATE: Feb.23.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

The Salad Oil King. Rip-off #38.
High School Dropout Brings American Express to its Knees.

Alfonso "Fonso" Gravenese's vegetable oil became a business darling on Wall Street. To add credibility, American Express Bank made numerous secured loans against the company's growing inventory. Unbeknownst to all but a few, Fonso AKA the Salad Oil King, the 128 tanks filled with inventory along the New Jersey Turnpike were 90 percent... Learn More

DATE: Feb.22.2022 | CATEGORY: True Crime

Salad Oil King financial scams. Rip-off # 67.
How to steal $13 billion, get a 7-year sentence with two years off for good behavior.

The many white-collar scams of Alfonso “Fonso” Gravenese finally brought him to his knees. He hired the best lawyers money could buy, and built a simple defense. “Sorry about that judge. You got me.” Since nobody could prove that any of the people that disappeared on his rise to the top, and his... Learn More

DATE: May.27.2020 | CATEGORY: True Crime

Salad Oil King; Stories of greed gone mad. Scam # 31.
How to control the worldwide price of vegetable oil.

Alfonso “Fonso” Gravenese obsession with the accumulation of wealth knew few bounds. By the 1950’s he had scammed more than a half a billion dollars from government do-good programs. With that war chest, he would create the “Mona Lisa” of white-collar scams. Fonso traveled to developing third world countries like Egypt, Argentina,... Learn More

DATE: May.27.2020 | CATEGORY: True Crime

Salad Oil King; Stories of greed gone mad. Rip-off # 24.
How to create windfall profits in the black market.

During World War II every American contributed to the war effort by receiving and using ration stamps to ensure everyone shared the pain. But, there were those like Alfonso “Fonso” Gravenese and his Mafia cronies who made a handsome profit in the black marketing of goods and services through the use of... Learn More

DATE: Jan.16.2020 | CATEGORY: True Crime

Salad Oil King; Stories of greed gone mad. Rip-off # 17.
How to cheat school kids out of a free lunch.

It was a simple, despicable, immoral, elegant scheme. Alfonso Alfonso” Gravenese, AKA The Salad Oil King, paid off government officials to get awarded contracts to provide underprivileged kids with a balanced free lunch. Then to reimburse himself for the bribes, and make a crapload of “bonus” profits, Fonso reduced his operating... Learn More

DATE: Jan.06.2020 | CATEGORY: True Crime