The husband of a former top executive for a county contractor accused of misappropriating county funds is now facing more than a dozen felony charges.
Jeff Knox, who is married to ex-Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego COO Amy Knox, entered not guilty pleas Thursday to 15 felony counts of theft, embezzlement, receiving stolen property, mortgage fraud and filing fraudulent tax returns.
Knox previously stood by his wife’s side in court as she faced criminal accusations of spending public money on everything from plastic surgery to purebred dogs, allegedly forging an invoice to the county, mortgage fraud and taking trips meant to be auctioned off to support another nonprofit his wife once helped lead. Amy Knox has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The initial charges came months after Amy Knox’s departure from the Harm Reduction Coalition, which until June 2025 had two county contracts to deploy an opioid overdose reversal drug and test drugs for deadly fentanyl. Amy Knox previously served prison time for embezzlement, something county officials knew before awarding the nonprofit its second contract in 2024.
In a statement after Jeff Knox’s Thursday arraignment, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said the charges against Jeff Knox included embezzlement from the former county contractor, theft of vacation packages, filing false tax returns and obtaining an allegedly fraudulent loan for the couple’s Alpine home.
If convicted on all charges, he could face nearly 13 years in prison, spokesperson Tanya Sierra wrote in an email.
At his Thursday arraignment, Superior Court Judge Laura Duffy ordered Jeff Knox not to speak to his wife about the criminal case against them and not to do work that involves others’ finances, among other conditions.
Jeff Knox, who appeared at the arraignment without being arrested, agreed to comply and will be assigned a public defender to represent him.
Attorney Gary Gibson, who is representing Amy Knox, said his client is upset that District Attorney Summer Stephan’s office has ensnared her husband in the criminal case – and is questioning the validity of those charges.
“Ms. Knox is disappointed that the District Attorney’s Office chose to charge her husband on thin and nonexistent charges in order to force a resolution in her case,” Gibson said. “Negotiations are ongoing for global resolution.”
The District Attorney’s Office declined to comment further on the case.