Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Suspended mayor pleads not guilty
Cooper faces felony charges
HALLANDALE BEACH — Joy Cooper, the suspended Hallandale Beach mayor facing felony charges after being caught in an FBI sting, walked into court Friday with her husband by her side and her head held high.
Appearing before Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fein, Cooper pleaded not guilty to money laundering, official misconduct and exceeding the limit on campaign finance contributions — felony charges that each carry a maximum five-year sentence. She also pleaded not guilty to soliciting contributions in a government building, a first-degree misdemeanor with a one-year maximum sentence.
“We’re looking forward to our day in court for vindication,” Larry Davis, Cooper’s attorney, said in a courthouse hallway after the hearing.
Cooper, mayor since 2005, was arrested on Jan. 25 and removed from office the next day by Gov. Rick Scott.
Cooper, 57, stands accused of accepting $5,000 in campaign contributions funneled through lobbyist Alan Koslow, a former attorney disbarred after a conviction on federal
charges.
Cooper’s legal woes stem from meetings she and Koslow had back in 2012 with men they thought were wealthy developers from California, court documents show. The men were not developers, but undercover FBI agents pretending to seek political favor for a project in Hallandale Beach.
In August 2012, the agents handed Koslow a Dunkin’ Donuts bag filled with $8,000 in soon-to-belaundered cash.
Koslow told the undercover agents he had influence with the city commission and “had the vote of the mayor,” court documents say.
During one meeting, Cooper was recorded saying she and two other commissioners were a “team of three” and could ensure a favorable result for their project, according to the arrest affidavit.
“Alan Koslow showed Mayor Cooper a number representing a proposed contribution and asked her if it was a good number. She replied ‘No. Add a zero.” Koslow confirmed ‘Three zeros, is that fine?’ and Mayor Cooper replied ‘Yes,’” according to the arrest affidavit.
Koslow told Cooper she would receive $10,000 in the form of two $5,000 contributions — one before the August 2012 primary and one after, the records state.
The agents met with Cooper and Koslow over several months in 2012 and secretly recorded their meetings. Koslow had no clue the men were FBI agents until August 2013 when they confronted him in a Fort Lauderdale hotel room, records show.
If Cooper is acquitted before her term ends in 2020, she can reclaim her role as mayor. For now, that title is held by Keith London, Cooper’s longtime political rival.
Cooper’s next hearing was set for June 7.