Former Ankeny chamber CEO arrested for allegedly taking $250,000 from organization

The former leader of the Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce allegedly began stealing more than $250,000 from the organization almost as soon as she started her job there, court documents show.

Melisa Cox, 47, faces 14 felony charges stemming from her alleged use of a chamber-issued credit card for personal expenses: six counts of theft, six counts of unauthorized use of a credit card, one count of fraudulent practice and one count of money laundering. Cox, former president and CEO, turned herself in to the Ankeny Police Department on Wednesday morning, according to a police news release.

She was dismissed from the chamber in November after an internal audit found financial irregularities. Ankeny police said a board member contacted them Nov. 16 over concerns of theft.

Cox allegedly stole from Ankeny chamber for nearly 3 years

The chamber announced Cox’s hiring in December 2021. She began employment Jan. 1, 2022, according to court documents.

It was between then and June 30, 2022, that Cox allegedly first used the card with her name on it to purchase $26,599 in personal items and expenses, according to court documents.

The documents do not detail what Cox purchased, but receipts showed “orders, accounts, subscriptions, and other types of transactions,” the documents say.

Documents show Cox allegedly continued to use the card to rack up other personal sums, including:

• $37,666 from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2022.

• $36,410 from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023.

• $48,097 from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2023.

• $62,633 from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2024.

• $39,940 from July 1 through Nov. 13, 2024, three days before police were contacted.

Court documents allege Cox transferred $1,291 from a chamber bank account she had created to her personal bank account to cover up theft. She also allegedly altered five transactions on the credit card statements to try to make $3,102 in transactions appear to be normal expenses.

The Register attempted to contact Cox via Facebook but did not immediately receive a response. Polk County Jail records show she was still incarcerated without a listed bond as of Wednesday afternoon.

Ankeny chamber defers most questions to police after Cox’s arrest

Tony Mills, chair of the Ankeny Area Chamber Board of Directors, told the Register the organization’s statement in November after Cox’s dismissal was still true.

“The Chamber is financially sound and focused on fulfilling its mission and the board and staff are committed to ensuring this incident will not derail the Chamber’s efforts moving forward,” Mills said at the time.

Mills referred other questions to Ankeny police and the Polk County attorney. He said the chamber would have no further comment beyond: “We are excited about 2025 and are focused on hiring a new CEO for the long-term success of the Ankeny Chamber and serving our members.”

The chamber named board member Trent Murphy as interim CEO after Cox’s dismissal. Murphy is a former Ankeny school board member and owner of Murphy Enterprises, Inc.

Phillip Sitter covers the suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.

This story was updated to add new information.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Ankeny chamber CEO arrested for alleged theft from organization