FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Former Valley Congressman TJ Cox is now heading to federal prison for a year and one day.
A federal judge sentenced Cox in Fresno late Monday evening after a court hearing that lasted hours.
Cox requested probation and home confinement after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.
Court documents reveal Cox created illegal bank accounts over the course of five years before he entered Congress. Prosecutors say he used them to funnel client and company money, all while securing a $1.5 million loan to develop Granite Park in Central Fresno.
The judge on Monday called it “sophisticated” and told Cox he kept on digging himself deeper.
“Yes, he did things that were wrong and illegal,” defense attorney Mark Coleman told Action News. “He moved money between one firm to another firm to cover expenses and to keep the businesses going. And yes, he also used some of that money for personal expenses, but nothing lavish at all.”
Coleman said the case is a “fall from grace” for Cox.
In 2018, Cox ousted Congressman David Valadao in the South Valley, flipping the seat from a Republican to a Democrat in a major upset with national implications.
The judge said there is no question that Cox has done “a lot of good things,” but said it is also clear he took “intricate” steps to disguise his crimes.
Cox now reports to federal prison on May 27 after Coleman called the prison sentence a “home run.”
