A former California congressman has been indicted on 28 counts, including 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of campaign contribution fraud, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The FBI arrested TJ Cox Tuesday morning, according to records from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Cox, a Democrat, represented California’s 21st District from 2019 to 2021. The charges in the unsealed 28-count indictment also include 11 counts of money laundering and one count of defrauding financial institutions. The indictment, filed Aug. 4, says Cox schemed to finance and reimburse people close to him for campaign donations, according to the Justice Department statement. Federal laws do not allow “conduit” or “straw” donations, in which someone makes a political contribution through someone else to their own campaign. Between 2013 and 2018, the Justice Department said, Cox diverted $1.7 million from companies he was affiliated with and their clients into unauthorized bank accounts he created. If convicted of wire fraud and money laundering, Cox could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Mark Coleman, who represents Cox, told The Washington Post that his client pleaded not guilty Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Authorities released him and his next hearing is set for October 12. Coleman added that Cox intends to “mount a tough defense.” The 28-count indictment alleges that Cox received mortgage loan money after submitting fabricated bank statements to a lender. Although he allegedly told the lender the property would be his primary residence, Cox bought it and rented it to someone else, the Justice Department said. This is not the first time Cox’s residence has come under scrutiny. In 2018, when he was running in a close race against Rep. the laws allow a person to claim only one. At the time, Cox staff said it was an “honest mistake”. Cox ran against Valadao again in 2020 and narrowly lost. This year, he chose not to run, instead endorsing Rudy Salas (D). Dana Hedgpeth contributed to this report.
