A Minnesota church and dance studio allegedly misused $2 million in charitable assets to fund a lifestyle of luxury items and holidays, prosecutors say.
Sharon and Larry Cook, the founders of Minneapolis-based nonprofits Real Believers Faith Center and Les Jolies School of Dance, were accused in a lawsuit of “egregious violations” of Minnesota nonprofit law.
Larry Cook, who is a senior pastor at the faith center, described the accusations to WCCO as a “1,000 percent fabrication of the facts” and a “fiction.”
Sharon Cook told the outlet that she received a salary from the dance studio, suggesting the idea that the couple “took everything that was for the nonprofit” and spent it on themselves was a “lie.”
The couple claimed that the travel transactions were ministry trips with church parishioners and that each person paid their own way.
According to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, more than $1,300,000 of Real Believers’ charitable assets were used between February 2018 and October 2024.
Real Believers had two bank accounts, with Larry Cook being the sole signatory on one account and Sharon Cook being the sole signatory on the other.
Around 91 percent of transactions from Larry Cook’s account and 50 percent from Sharon Cook’s account had no identified nonprofit purpose, prosecutors allege.
Approximately $800,000 of Les Jolies’ charitable assets were misused from April 2018 to June 2024, according to prosecutors.
The lawsuit alleges that Les Jolies’ funds were misused to make a $1,106 payment in a Louis Vuitton store and a $1,150 payment being made in a Michael Kors store.
Prosecutors also claim that LJP Costumes LLC was founded by Sharon Cook as a conduit to funnel funds from the nonprofit dance studio to the couple. One transaction from the LJP Costumes account included a $5,000 payment to the upscale travel company Celebrity Cruises.
In 2022, Larry Cook entered into a lease, on behalf of Real Believers, of what was later named the Lion’s Den Gas Station. The proceeds from the gas station allegedly went to a for-profit entity.
In March 2025, officials from the Attorney General’s Office’s Charities Division took sworn testimony from Larry and Sharon Cook about the finances of Real Believers and Les Jolies.
Weeks later, Les Jolies was dissolved by Sharon Cook without proper notice being given to the Attorney General’s Office.
Three months later, Larry Cook sold Real Believers before entering into an agreement to repurchase the church for the exact same amount of money that he sold it for.
On April 2, the prosecutor’s lawsuit was filed under seal and a temporary restraining order was requested a day later. The order was signed on April 15.
The Cooks told Fox 9 in a statement that they would demonstrate in court that the allegations amount to “brutal lies.”
”“With an almost 30-year outstanding record of service to the community, the ministries of RBFC and LJP have stood the test of time - through trials, tribulations, and hardships - while continuing to provide a stable place of worship and artistic freedom,” the statement said.
“We intend to demonstrate in court that the allegations brought forth by the office of Keith Ellison are without foundation, not based in facts, and amount to complete fiction and brutal lies. These claims represent an overreach and abuse of power.
“They are rooted in an incompetent investigation conducted without due diligence and marked by incendiary negligence.”
Five other people associated with the non-profits are named in the lawsuit.
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