Florida mayor charged with felony money laundering after FBI probe

The mayor of Hallandale Beach has been arrested and charged with three felony offenses, including money laundering, following an FBI sting operation.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office announced the charges against Mayor Joy Cooper on Thursday, following her surrender.

The charges include money laundering, official misconduct and exceeding limits on campaign contributions, each a third-degree felony punishable by a maximum of five years in jail, and soliciting contributions in a government building, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum of one year in jail.

In a press release not distributed to media members but obtained by the Herald, the State Attorney’s Office details a pivotal 2012 sting operation involving undercover FBI agents who posed as wealthy land developers and sought political favor with Cooper.

During the months-long operation, agents sought political favor from Cooper for a purported business project in the city. Their numerous interactions were documented by audio and video recordings, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Investigators say Cooper “solicited campaign contributions for her self and others in amounts exceeding the legal limits, and caused those contributions to be falsely reported in campaign reports.” She also solicited $1,500 contributions for then-commissioners William Julian and Anthony Saunders.

The case is being handled by members of the Special Prosecutions and Public Corruption Unit.

Cooper, who last year faced calls to resign, took office in 2005, and was elected to the commission in 1999.

As of Thursday afternoon, she was waiting to be processed at the Broward County Jail and then bonded out. Her attorney, Larry Davis, said Cooper would not be releasing a statement at this time.

“We look forward to our day in court, and Mayor Cooper’s vindication,” Davis said in a statement.

Davis said he was “extremely dissapointed” that the State Attorney’s Office relied upon Alan Koslow, once a powerful South Florida lobbyist and lawyer who pleaded guilty to federal money laundering conspiracy in 2016, as an informant in the FBI sting operation.

Acting Mayor Keith London, a political rival of Cooper’s, called for unity in the wake of her arrest.

“Today is a day when Hallandale Beach residents, elected officials and staff must come together,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am committed to working with all of our city’s stakeholders to move Hallandale Beach in a positive direction.”

The City of Hallandale Beach released also released a statement saying the city will “fully cooperate with any investigation and will extend full cooperation with any law enforcement agencies.”

“Residents should know that we will continue City Business as usual and operature under the processes defined by the City Charter,” the statement continues.

Cooper has been the subject of scrutiny before, and last year faced calls to resign from her colleagues.

Following a November commission meeting in which Cooper appeared to heavily slur her words and had to be driven home by her husband, her political rivals — Vice Mayor Keith London and Commissioner Michele Lazarow — accused Cooper of being under the influence and sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott asking him to remove her from office.

Cooper said she was not intoxicated but sick after contracting “Montezuma’s revenge” on a trip to Mexico.

“I am very fit to serve as mayor,” she said at the time, according to the Sun Sentinel. “I have always been fit to serve as mayor and I will always remain fit.”

Commissioner Anabelle Taub, a first-term commissioner and one of Cooper’s only allies on the dais, said she learned of Cooper’s arrest around noon Thursday, and that she was “shocked and sad and very afraid for the state of our city.”

“It’s a really sad day for Hallandale,” Taub said, adding that taxpayers stand to lose the most in this situation.

The commission is marked by political infighting and seemingly constant controversy. Missing one member since August, when then-commissioner Anthony Sanders resigned in light of a Broward Inspector General probe, the commission has been deadlocked on several issues and split at the seams.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Florida mayor charged with felony money laundering after FBI probe."