CEDAR CITY, Utah — A Cedar City property manager and former Iron County GOP Treasurer was arrested Wednesday for allegedly embezzling nearly $2 million. Blake Floyd Cozzens, 35, now faces 10 charges of unlawful fiduciary dealing with a value of over $5000.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, Cedar City Police were alerted to the suspicions that a property manager for a victim entity had unlawfully taken funds from an account.
Investigators obtained an investigative subpoena for the State Bank of Southern Utah for the bank records of the victim entity. Detectives say they found two accounts where Blake was listed as the sole signer. Both accounts showed multiple transactions ranging from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars that the victim entity says was not authorized.
Investigators say there were more than 19 transactions between the two accounts, which was in excess of $5,000. The total dollar amount totaled more than $1.9 million in checks, wire transfers, and in-person withdrawals.
Detectives also stated that as of November 30, 2024, the bank accounts were both empty.
Blake Cozzens was previously arrested in 2018 after allegedly trying to pay an undercover officer for sex in St. George. According to theSalt Lake Tribune, Cozzens plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 12 months probation and pay a $1,000 fine.
