FBI sting nabs Hallandale mayor on campaign finance, money laundering charges
Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper was arrested Thursday on charges that she solicited, then falsely reported campaign contributions during an undercover federal sting operation that took place more than five years ago.
Though no charging documents had been released by Thursday afternoon, a single-page statement released by the Broward State Attorney’s Office said Cooper was charged with “multiple campaign finance violations” stemming from an FBI undercover operation in May of 2012, including three felonies.
Among the charges: Money laundering, official misconduct, exceeding limits on campaign contributions and soliciting contributions in a government building.
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 contributions of $1,500 each for then-commissioners William Julian and Anthony Saunders, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article196606329.html
