Former Ankeny Chamber CEO considering plea deal on alleged money laundering charges

Yahoo

03-04-2025

DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Melisa Cox is considering entering a plea deal in connection to charges of alleged money laundering and theft.
The 47-year-old was in court Thursday for a pre-trial conference. She is accused of stealing more than $250,000 from the chamber over three years while she was at the helm of the organization.
Initially, Cox faced more than a dozen charges. New court records show the state is offering a deal in connection to just four, including three Class C Felonies of Money Laundering, First-Degree Theft, and Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card. Class C felonies can carry up to a 10-year sentence and thousands of dollars in fines. The plea also includes a charge of Second Degree Theft, which is a Class D Felony and can carry a sentence of up to five years, plus fines.
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The finite details of the plea offer were not disclosed. Below are the court descriptions of the charges attached to the current plea offer:
COUNT III: THEFT IN THE FIRST DEGREE, in violation of Iowa Code Section(s) 714.1 and 714.2(1), on or about 2024, Defendant took possession or control of the property of another with the intent to deprive the other thereof, and/or misappropriated property which she had in her possession or control, by using or disposing of it in a manner which was inconsistent with the owner's rights or appropriated such property to her own use, said property having a value in excess of $10,000 (Class C Felony)
COUNT V: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD, in violation of Iowa Code Section(s) 715A.6(1) and 715A.6(2)(a), on or about 2023, Defendant used a credit card for the purpose of obtaining property or services with the knowledge that said use was unauthorized, said property having a value in excess of $10,000 (Class C Felony)
COUNT VII: MONEY LAUNDERING, in violation of Iowa Code Section(s) 706B.2(a), on or about 2022-2024, Defendant conducted transactions knowing that the property involved in the transactions is the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity with the intent to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of the property. (Class C Felony)
COUNT VIII: FRAUDULENT PRACTICE IN THE 2ND DEGREE, in violation of Iowa Code Section(s) 714.8(4) and 714.8(10), on or about 2024, Defendant made an entry in or alteration of any record of a corporation, partnership, or other business enterprise or nonprofit enterprise, knowing the same to be false, the value in excess of $1500. (Class D Felony)
Cox was terminated from her position in November 2024 after an internal audit found financial irregularities. Court records show Cox entered a not guilty plea on Feb. 27.
A plea hearing has been set for April 30. A trial is still tentatively set for May 5.
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