State lawmakers detail stolen funds in complaints to COPP
Micah Drew
Two Montana Democrat state lawmakers have filed complaints with the Commissioner of Political Practices detailing how their campaign treasurer allegedly stole thousands of dollars.
Sen. Cora Neumann, of Bozeman, and Rep. Zooey Zephyr, of Missoula, filed their COPP complaints after their former treasurer, Abbey Lee Cook, signed a plea agreement with the federal government admitting to an embezzlement scheme of more than $250,000.
The two lawmakers confirmed they are two of six unnamed victims listed in federal court documents that detail Cook’s scheme of transferring funds from campaign accounts to her own personal account, as well as failing to file forms and making late payments.
“While I do not know every victim of Ms. Cook, I know that there were several. I knew that we were working with the FBI to make sure they had everything they needed,” Zephyr told the Daily Montanan last week.
In her complaint, Zooey alleges that Cook used her position to “intentionally misrepresent donations to my campaign as well as expenditures from my campaign in order to embezzle those funds,” and that she had submitted fraudulent statements to COPP to hide her actions.
According to the complaint, Cook told Zephyr following the 2024 election that there was “around $25,000” left in her campaign account. Zephyr instructed Cook to close the account and donate the surplus funds to a series of nonprofits and the Montana Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
But Zephyr stated that the organizations did not receive the funds, Cook repeatedly made excuses as to why they hadn’t been sent, and the campaign account could only be accessed by Cook.
“Following the FBI investigation, it is my belief that Ms. Cook understated the surplus amount by at least half, and there was approximately $52,100 remaining in the account at the time of the campaign’s conclusion,” according to the complaint.
Zephyr also reported Cook repeatedly filed inaccurate or late filings to COPP, and often attributed the late filings to problems with the state’s computer system.
Neumann, who told the Daily Montanan she had “raised the red flag” on Cook’s dealings and alerted Zephyr to the potential illegal activity, wrote in her complaint that Cook had failed to pay invoices on time, lost or failed to process nearly $10,000 in campaign checks, filed late, or incorrect expense reports and COPP filings and paid herself an extra $1,600 from campaign accounts.
Following the series of issues with Cook’s work, a lack of communication with Neumann, and a failure to reconcile the extra payments, the lawmaker terminated Cook’s services in August 2024.
Neumann’s complaint alleges Cook violated three of Montana’s campaign finance laws related to misuse of campaign funds, record keeping duties of a campaign treasurer, and campaign finance reporting.
According to the complaint, Neumann found a nearly $10,000 discrepancy between reported contributions to the campaign and deposits made to the campaign bank account, and at least one donor reached out to note their check had not been cashed.
“As Abbey Cook oversaw P.O. Box and its contents at the time, it’s impossible to know how many donor checks may still be outstanding or simply lost,” the complaint states.
Neumann also details a lack of communication from Cook throughout the eight months she worked for the campaign, including failing to provide spreadsheets detailing campaign finances and failing to respond to texts and emails “requesting basic information.”
Cook also blamed late campaign finance reports on problems with COPP’s system or staff, but Neumann wrote in an email that “it has recently become clear after communication with other Democratic candidates that the issue is you.”
During the 2024 election cycle Cook worked for multiple Democratic candidates and progressive-aligned political committees including Ben Alke, the Democratic candidate for Attorney General, and Jeremiah Lynch, who ran for the Montana State Supreme Court.
Another of Cook’s confirmed victims was the Montana Senior Vote Action Fund, which is overseen by the advocacy group Big Sky 55+, though the two groups have separate boards.
In a statement, Big Sky 55+ Executive Director Trent Bolger said Cook took $18,000 from the action fund’s account without permission, which has not yet been returned.
“There is a legal process that will play out in the future, and we hope that justice will be done,” Bolger said.
Earlier this month, Cook signed a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office to plead guilty to three counts of wire fraud in exchange for the federal government not recommending jail time. She will also pay $253,000 in restitution. Each count of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
Cook’s arraignment and change of plea hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9 in the federal courthouse in Great Falls.