Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Terrance John “TJ” Cox, 61, of Fresno, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of wire fraud and one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, Cox perpetrated fraud schemes targeting companies he was affiliated with. Cox created unauthorized off-the-books bank accounts and diverted client and company money into those accounts through false representations, pretenses and promises. From 2013 to 2018, across two different fraud schemes, Cox illicitly obtained client payments and company loans and investments that he solicited and then stole.

In addition, Cox fraudulently obtained a $1.5 million construction loan to develop the recreation area in Fresno known as Granite Park. Cox and his business partner’s nonprofit could not qualify for the construction loan without a financially viable party guaranteeing the loan. Cox falsely represented that one of his affiliated companies would guarantee the loan and submitted a fabricated board resolution that falsely stated that at a meeting on a given date, all company owners agreed to guarantee the Granite Park loan. No meeting took place, and the other owners did not agree to back the loan. The loan later went into default.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry Z. Carbajal III and Jeffrey A. Spivak are prosecuting the case.

Cox is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2025. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.