While in prison, Cox mailed several letters to the "St. Petersburg Times" in 2008 in which he accused politician Kevin White of taking bribes from him during Cox's criminal career. He claims he made payoffs to White, an ultimately successful candidate for the Tampa City Council, in 2002 and 2003. Cox said White told him he could not receive the money directly, and suggested that Cox have friends donate $500 each, and then reimburse them. Records and statements from those who donated show that Cox did in fact make numerous contributions to White's campaign, and reimbursed others who did so as well. White, he claims, agreed to vote to rezone vacant properties in Tampa and Ybor City. When Cox was first arrested, the FBI talked to him about White, whom they were also investigating, and he told them the same information. He claimed to have paid him $7,000 in cash in addition to the recorded contributions he arranged. When White and a fellow City Council member were told Cox's contributions might have been illegal in 2004, his colleague told the police, while White kept silent. White has denied that he knew these contributions were reimbursed, and called Cox's accusations "the jailhouse ramblings of a reputed con man." White said he befriended Cox when he came to believe the con man was interested in revitalizing Tampa Heights. Cox had fled the Tampa area before White cast any rezoning votes, so there is no voting record which could help confirm the validity of his accusations. In 2012, White, who had gone on to serve as Hillsborough County Commissioner, was convicted of unrelated federal bribery and corruption charges and sentenced to three years in federal prison.