A California Democrat who previously represented the Golden State in the House of Representatives has been offered a plea deal to face wire fraud, money laundering and other federal charges starting in 2022.
Terrence John “TJ” Cox, who represented California’s 21st Congressional District from 2019 to 2021, is facing 28 charges in total, but this is because he was later expelled from Congress. That’s five more charges than former New York Republican Rep. George Santos currently faces. last year.
Cox’s hearing, whose plea deal was detailed in court documents filed Wednesday, was originally scheduled to be held on March 27, but the hearing was originally scheduled to take place on March 27th, but the hearing was initially scheduled to be held on March 27th, but the hearing had been canceled due to an “extremely voluminous” amount of digital records, hundreds of thousands of records. It was postponed to May 22 due to the existence of financial records and reports. Other evidence Cox’s lawyers will consider to evaluate the offer, according to the document.
Details about the plea agreement were not immediately available, but the document confirmed that “the defendant has received and is considering the government’s plea agreement.”
Former Democratic California Rep. TJ Cox indicted on money laundering and fraud charges
Terrence John “TJ” Cox speaks at a Titan Student Union meeting on the California State University, Fullerton campus on October 4, 2018 in Fullerton. (Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
Cox’s attorney, Mark Coleman, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on this story.
cox surrendered He was taken into custody by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in August 2022, and after appearing before a federal judge, he was simultaneously released conditionally. At the time, Cox was charged with 15 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of money laundering, one count of financial institution fraud, and one count of campaign finance fraud.
At the time of his arrest, prosecutors detailed what he had done in a 25-page indictment. Cox is suspected of stealing From 2013 to 2018, he received $1.7 million from customers and companies with whom he had relationships.
In one instance, Cox allegedly sought a $100,000 loan for one of his companies in April 2017, but was unable to repay the principal to two investors.
“Over $40,000 [the loan] It was used for Cox’s personal expenses. Private school tuition feescredit card payments, mortgage payments, and a $7,000 payment to Cox’s personal political consultant,” prosecutors wrote.
Ousted George Santos says he will seek to return to parliament as an independent
The total number of charges against Terrence John “TJ” Cox (left) exceeds that of former Republican Rep. George Santos (right), who last December became the first member of Congress to be expelled in more than 20 years. ing. (Getty Images)
When Cox was a candidate For US Congress In the 2018 election, he allegedly arranged more than $25,000 in illegal straw donations by family members and associates who donated money to his campaign and then gave or refunded the money.
Cox is also accused of fraudulently obtaining a $1.5 million construction loan to build a recreation area in Fresno by providing fabricated bank statements on mortgage applications. Prosecutors say the loan defaulted, resulting in losses of more than $1.2 million.
Mr. Cox’s total charges exceed those of Mr. Santos, who became the first congressman in more than 20 years to be expelled by a vote of his then-colleagues last December.
Mr. Santos has not been convicted of a crime, but has been charged with 23 counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsifying records and credit card fraud. Mr. Santos is suspected of using campaign funds for a number of luxury goods and treatments, including Botox. He pleaded not guilty.
The vote to expel Santos from Congress was 311-114, with strong bipartisan support, but a slightly larger number of Republicans voted to keep him in office.
Santos, who represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District, announced Friday that he would run again to win back his House seat, this time as an independent candidate. He will run to unseat Rep. Nick Larota. republican, Representative of New York’s 1st Congressional District.
Former Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) was expelled from the House of Representatives by a vote of his colleagues last December. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
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Cox, now 60, flipped California’s 21st Congressional District in 2018. He lost to Republican Rep. David Valadao. In 2020, the difference was 862 votes.
FOX News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
