ANKENY – Cops have snared another chamber of commerce honcho in Iowa engaged in an alleged crime spree, this time in a Des Moines suburb, in what is becoming a common story line for these unelected, greedy mischief-makers disguised as near-royalty in our communities.
The Polk County Attorney’s Office has leveled an avalanche of charges against 47-year-old Melisa Ginae Cox (pictured at top in costume and in jail), the former CEO of the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce. The charges currently stand this way:
– 01 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 01/01/2022 CLASS C FELONY
– 02 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 07/01/2023 CLASS C FELONY
– 03 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 01/01/2024 CLASS C FELONY
– 04 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 07/01/2023 CLASS C FELONY
– 05 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 01/01/2024 CLASS C FELONY
– 06 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 01/01/2023 CLASS C FELONY
– 07 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 07/01/2024 CLASS C FELONY
– 08 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 01/01/2023 CLASS C FELONY
– 09 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 07/01/2024 CLASS C FELONY
– 10 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 07/01/2022 CLASS C FELONY
– 11 MONEY LAUNDERING – CONDUCT TRANSACTION 05/01/2022 CLASS C FELONY
– 12 THEFT 1ST DEGREE 07/01/2022 CLASS C FELONY
– 13 UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CREDIT CARD OVR 10,000 01/01/2022 CLASS C FELONY
– 14 FRAUDULENT PRACTICE 2ND DEGREE 04/03/2024 CLASS D FELONY
Authorities say Cox allegedly used a credit card from her employer for unauthorized purchases over $250,000 over a number of years, as revealed in an audit. Cox was the face of the organization, showing her mug in videos and appearances, preaching this and preaching that with authority as if she has expertise. She was arrested Wednesday morning, January 15, 2025, and placed in a jail cell. She awaits due process and is innocent until proven guilty. Next for Cox is a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 27, as she has applied for a public defender and is held on $75,000 bond.
These chamber of commerce types keep showing up in Iowa police mug shot lineups for crimes, and it seems like a pattern is emerging. They perch in the front row at city council meetings, disguised as important professionals, address our elected officials, pontificate how to run our towns, aggressively slather officials with free lunches and awards, and place pressure on them to make favorable decisions for their business cronies that commoners might not like. Even as they prance around all high and mighty in those tacky, moth-bitten red jackets that smell of Royal Fork Buffet leftovers, we have seen them accused of assault, theft, fraud, on-going criminal conduct, legal hijinks, criminal mischief and more.
One local example is Garner’s Rebecca Ethel Olson, who ran the chamber office in that working class community. After funds mysteriously went missing, cops nabbed the 52-year-old lady on a swath of serious charges, including unauthorized use of a credit card over $10,000. She claims she is not guilty and is awaiting a February 19 jury trial. Perhaps the lesson is, do not give these women a credit card, it might save everyone a ton of problems?
Another Northern Iowa working class town, Webster City, was victimized by a criminal woman, Leah Rae Mulholland, of the local chamber of commerce. She had, for years, a 2019 audit showed, enriched herself by many thousands of dollars by ripping off her employer for excess gross wages, also including thousands of dollars of reimbursements issued to 2 former Executive Directors. Justice delivered probation for all these crimes, proving that these fraudsters have every reason to continue their charade until justice takes them seriously.