Cota Holdings LLC is a Native American-owned consulting firm. The firm specializes in areas including economic and energy development for Native American tribes. ¹ Roger Fragua, the president of Cota Holdings, shares ties with other Native American-focused organizations that have received substantial federal funding. ²

Background

The president of Cota Holdings LLC is Roger Fragua. Fragua is involved with other Native American-focused organizations, including the Flower Hill Institute and the Tribal Energy Consortium. He is the executive director and principal officer of these organizations, respectively. ²

Cota Holdings, the Tribal Energy Consortium, and the Flower Hill Institute share an address for communications. ^{3 4 5}

The Flower Hill Institute contracted Cota Holdings in 2022 and 2023, according to IRS tax documents. There is personnel overlap among the groups, including the Flower Hill Institute co-founder and executive director Roger Fragua, board chair Leslie Elgood, and then-board member and current staff member Atherton Phleger. In a 2022 audit of the Flower Hill Institute’s tax returns, a third-party auditor found that the group had “material weakness in internal controls,” partly in regard to the group’s methods for vetting independent contractors, according to the Washington Examiner. ^{6 7 8 9 2}

In 2023, Roger Fragua received over $400,000 in compensation from the Flower Hill Institute, and Leslie Elgood received $200,000. Both individuals reported working an average of 10 hours a week for the group and have volunteer status in these roles, according to explanations by the group provided on its tax return. Therefore, all compensation came from “contracted services rendered under specific service agreements and is not related to their duties as board members or executive director.”  ^{10 11}

Activities

Cota Holdings is a consulting firm specialized in Native American tribal concerns, including economic and energy infrastructure development. Particularly, Cota Holdings advertises its expertise in “Strategic Investing,” “Grant Writing,” “Business Organization,” and “Energy Development/Regulations.” ¹²

Funding

In 2022, the Flower Hill Institute, an organization that shares leadership via Roger Fragua, contracted Cota Holdings in the amount of $285,082. In 2023, the Flower Hill Institute again contracted Cota Holdings, however the amount was unspecified on public tax returns. ¹³

People

Roger Fragua is the president of Cota Holdings. Fragua is also a co-founder and executive director of the Flower Hill Institute and chairman of the board of Climate Advocates Voces Unidas. He is the principal officer of the Tribal Energy Consortium, a nonprofit organization that shares its domain name with the seemingly defunct NDN Energy, of which Fragua had been president. Previously, Fragua had been a manager at the Houston-based Enron Corporation, and deputy director of the Colorado-based Council of Energy Resource Tribes. ^{7 8 14 15 2}

Leslie Elgood is a senior strategist at Cota Holdings. As of 2025, Elgood was the board chair of the Flower Hill Institute. Elgood is the owner and CEO of Senior Relocation Services of New Mexico, LLC. Previously, she was president and CEO of New Mexico Community Capital, and president of the University of New Mexico Foundation. ^{7 9 16}

Atherton Phleger is a senior advisor at Cota Holdings. Phleger is also the general counsel and director of special projects at the Flower Hill Institute; previously, he had been the vice chair of the board of the Flower Hill Institute for seven years. Phleger had previously been a program director at Climate Advocates Voces Unidas. ^{7 8}

1. Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://cota.holdings/.
2. Kaminsky, Gabe. “Biden Awarded $50m to Self-Dealing Activist – Washington Examiner.” Washington Examiner – Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, February 14, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3311236/in-final-days-biden-awarded-50-million-to-self-dealing-charity-leader/.
3. “Contact.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/contact.
4. “Contact.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://cota.holdings/contact.
5. “Tribal Energy Consortium,” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990 N) (e-postcard) 2023.
6. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022, 2023. Schedule L.
7. “Team.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://cota.holdings/partners.
8. “Who We Are.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/who-we-are.
9. “Board of Directors.” Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 24, 2025. https://flowerhill.institute/board-of-directors.
10. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule J.
11. “Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2023. Schedule O.
12. “What We Do.” Cota Holdings LLC. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://cota.holdings/what-we-do.
13.  Flower Hill Institute,” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990) 2022 and 2023. Schedule L.
14. Roger Fragua – executive director – Flower Hill Institute. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-fragua-4b806228.
15. “Roger Fragua.” CAVU, September 18, 2023. https://cavu.org/people/roger/.
16. Leslie Elgood – Senior strategist – cota holdings, LLC | LinkedIn. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-elgood-45a3917/.