A former Democratic congressman from California whose companies scored federal loans amid the COVID-19 pandemic was busted Tuesday in a series of scams — including one that helped fund his winning run for office.
Terrance John “T.J.” Cox, 59, of Fresno was charged in a 28-count indictment that accuses him of siphoning off more than $1.7 million from an almond-processing company he co-owned and fraudulently obtaining a $1.5 development loan, according to the Sacramento US Attorney’s Office.
Cox is also accused of arranging for friends and family members to make more than $25,000 in crooked contributions to his 2018 campaign.
Cox allegedly provided the money up front or reimbursed the “straw” donors afterward.
Cox narrowly unseated GOP Rep. David Valadao in the 2018 House election, besting the incumbent by just 862 votes, or less than 1% of all ballots cast.
But Valadao regained the seat in 2020 after a race in which Cox came under fire for seeking special access to Yosemite National Park to celebrate the Fourth of July despite COVID-19 restrictions.
Cox’s campaign also reportedly admitted using Photoshop software to make it appear that Valadao retweeted a…
