Update: The Ankeny chamber permanently dismissed its lawsuit in June 2026. Such dismissals are often the result of out-of-court settlements. An attorney for the chamber did not return a request for comment.
Original article:
The Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce is suing its former leader after she pleaded guilty in April to stealing more than $250,000 from the organization.
A judge sentenced the former chamber president and CEO Melisa Cox in July to five years of probation, in lieu of a suspended sentence of 35 years in prison, after she pleaded guilty to four felony charges: theft, unauthorized use of a credit card, money laundering and fraudulent practice. Cox, 47, also was required to pay restitution, which she said at her sentencing she wanted to pay in full sooner rather than later, despite her reduced income working at a kennel.
The chamber filed a lawsuit Sept. 26 that seeks from Cox an amount greater than what she stole. The chamber “suffered monetary damages in an amount that exceeds $300,000 and was not made whole by the criminal restitution,” according to the lawsuit.
That figure includes the $250,000 Cox stole, plus compensation for attorney fees, consultant fees, crisis management and communication costs, audit costs, reduced membership renewals, increased insurance premiums, loss of volunteers’ participation, and reputational damage in the business community.
“It is the Chamber’s position that it should not be required to absorb this financial burden, and Ms. Cox should not financially benefit from the criminal acts,” the chamber’s board of directors said in an emailed statement to the Des Moines Register on Friday, Oct. 3.
The chamber is seeking damages under five counts — civil theft, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, civil remedies for criminal conduct, and nonprofit officer liability.
“Given (Cox’s) open admission to the crimes, the Chamber is seeking full recoupment of all financial losses, including the entirety of the stolen sum, associated expenses, and related damages,” according to the board’s statement.
Cox declined Thursday, Oct. 2 to comment to the Register.
At Cox’s sentencing, Tony Mills, chair of the chamber’s board of directors, said in a victim impact statement that “we’re angry, we’re hurt, and your Honor, we’re exhausted.”
Mills said the chamber would recover, but Cox shattered the organization’s trust, credibility and reputation by betraying its values to live outside her means. Donors and sponsors had questioned their support, membership renewals had declined and volunteers had stepped away, Mills said.
Cox said at her sentencing she did not feel entitled to the money she stole, and she used it to pay for bills, vacations, online shopping and groceries.
“It was pressure I put on myself” to provide for her family and to fit in, she said of why she stole the money. She said she needed to be someone she was not.
Cox was dismissed from the chamber in November 2024 following an internal audit that found financial irregularities. Ankeny police said a board member contacted them Nov. 16 over concerns of theft. The chamber announced Cox’s hiring in December 2021. She stole a total of $251,345 from Jan. 1, 2022, to Nov. 13, 2024, according to court documents.
Cox did not have a prior criminal record and said at her sentencing she was in weekly therapy for her mental health.
This story was updated to add new information and because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com. Find out more about him online in the Register’s staff directory.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce sues former leader who pleaded guilty to stealing from it
Reporting by Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Phillip Sitter, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
