A church and dance studio in Minnesota have been accused of misusing nearly $2 million in charitable funds to finance luxury goods and holidays, prosecutors allege. The founders, Larry and Sharon Cook, face a lawsuit filed by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office claiming 'egregious violations' of state nonprofit law.
The lawsuit alleges that between February 2018 and October 2024, more than $1.3 million from Real Believers Faith Center, a Minneapolis-based church, was used without a clear charitable purpose. Around 91 per cent of transactions from an account controlled by Larry Cook and 50 per cent from an account controlled by Sharon Cook had no identified nonprofit purpose, according to prosecutors.
Similarly, approximately $800,000 from Les Jolies School of Dance, another nonprofit run by the couple, was allegedly misused between April 2018 and June 2024. The lawsuit cites specific payments, including $1,106 at a Louis Vuitton store and $1,150 at a Michael Kors store, as well as a $5,000 transfer to Celebrity Cruises from a company set up by Sharon Cook.
Larry Cook, senior pastor of the faith center, dismissed the allegations as a '1,000 per cent fabrication of the facts' and a 'fiction' in a statement to local media. Sharon Cook denied that the couple took everything for themselves, claiming that travel transactions were ministry trips paid for by participants. The couple vowed to demonstrate in court that the claims are 'brutal lies'.
The lawsuit also details unusual financial dealings, including the lease of a gas station in 2022 whose proceeds allegedly went to a for-profit entity, and the dissolution of Les Jolies in March 2025 without proper notice to the attorney general. Three months later, Larry Cook sold Real Believers before repurchasing it for the same amount. A temporary restraining order was granted on April 15.
Five other individuals associated with the nonprofits are also named in the lawsuit. The Cooks maintain that their organisations have a 30-year record of community service and that the allegations are based on an incompetent investigation.
