Overview
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against Real Believers Faith Center and Les Jolies Petites School of Dance, accusing founders Sharon and Larry Cook of diverting more than $2 million.
- The complaint names five officers as co-defendants and itemizes spending on luxury travel, designer goods, large cash withdrawals, and money transfers through apps like CashApp and Zelle.
- Prosecutors say the Cooks used buildings owned by the nonprofits as collateral for about $650,000 in loans without approval from their boards.
- The filing links nonprofit money to a 2022 effort to run a nearby Marathon gas station and says Larry Cook invoked his Fifth Amendment rights when asked about the deal.
- A judge has issued a temporary restraining order to protect the groups’ funds as the case begins, and the Cooks deny wrongdoing and say the purchases supported ministry and community work.