The Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse in Downtown Fresno. File photo

Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle Beckwith announced Monday that TJ Cox, a former U.S. Representative from 2019 to 2021, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and wire fraud affecting a financial institution. 

Cox could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison and face a $1 million fine. His sentencing is set for June 2. 

Court documents show that Cox engaged in fraudulent schemes targeting companies he was affiliated with from 2013 to 2018, prior to joining the House of Representatives. He used unauthorized bank accounts to divert company and client funds through false representations. Cox illicitly obtained payments, loans and investments that he solicited and stole. 

Cox also fraudulently secured a $1.5 million construction loan for Granite Park. Unable to qualify for a loan, Cox falsely claimed that one of his affiliated companies would guarantee the loan. He then fabricated a board resolution stating that company owners agreed to back the loan. There was no meeting, and the loan defaulted.

Cox filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October, reporting nearly $2.5 million in liabilities, including business debts and unpaid loans.

Prosecutors and Cox previously struggled to reach a plea deal, and a trial was considered before his guilty plea.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation led the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Z. Carbajal III and Jeffrey A. Spivak prosecuted it.