Plea deal offered to Fresno ex-Congressman TJ Cox. Accused of fraud, money laundering

Former Congressman TJ Cox of Fresno has been offered a plea deal over wire fraud, money laundering and other federal criminal charges he has faced since 2022, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

The details of the plea were not available in the documents. The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed a deal had been offered but could not provide any further information about it on Thursday.

A hearing in federal court set for next week was moved to May 22 because of the “extremely voluminous” amount of digital records, hundreds of thousands of financial documents and other evidence Cox’s attorney must review to assess the offer, the court documents say.

His Fresno-based attorney, Mark Coleman, did not return requests for comment on Thursday.

Terrance John Cox surrendered to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on Aug. 16, 2022, the same day he appeared virtually before a federal judge and was conditionally released.

The indictment in Fresno’s U.S. District Court was comprised of 28 counts, including 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, a count of financial institution fraud and a count of campaign contribution fraud.

The charges date back to business Cox was conducting in 2018, documents show, as well as during his time in Congress. A Democrat, Cox was elected in 2018 by beating out incumbent Republican David Valadao for the seat that covered Kings County and parts of Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties. Valadao retook the seat from Cox in a 2020 rematch.

Federal prosecutors allege Cox perpetrated “multiple fraud schemes” targeting companies he was affiliated with as well as their clients and lenders.

The allegations against Cox, the indictment showed, pertain his roles in four different ventures. That included Cox as head of a Fresno company aimed at assisting development investment in financially distressed areas through the New Market Tax Credit; a partner in a nonprofit that leased the troubled Granite Park Sports Complex in central Fresno from the city of Fresno; a partner in an almond processing company; and a candidate for Congress in the 2018 election.

Prosecutors said Cox stole more than $1.7 million in diverted client payments and company loans and investments. They also alleged Cox created false records and a fraudulent loan guarantee in order to secure a $1.5 million construction loan through a sports nonprofit for improvements at Granite Park.

The allegations also included alleged campaign contribution violations from straw donors. Prosecutors said he gave more than $25,000 to business associates and family members so they could appear to be donating to his 2018 campaign.

If convicted, the criminal penalties could be a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud and money laundering; up to 30 years and a $1 million fine for wire fraud against a financial institution; and a maximum of five years and a $250,000 fine for campaign contribution fraud.