There Is No Joy In Hallandale

Meet longtime Hallandale Beach, Florida Mayor Joy Cooper. Joy entered the political arena to help the less fortunate… until she realized she could become wealthy through the kindness of strangers.

Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper, 57, was charged with three felonies Thursday, accused of meeting with wealthy land developers who were actually undercover FBI agents pretending to seek political favor for a project in Hallandale Beach.

She is alleged to have solicited and accepted $5,000 in political campaign contributions from them that were funneled to her through disbarred Hollywood attorney Alan Koslow.

The agents met with Cooper and Koslow over several months in 2012 as part of a public corruption sting and the meetings were recorded on audio or video.

Cooper, who turned herself in to jail officials Thursday morning, was charged with money laundering, official misconduct and exceeding the limit on campaign finance contributions. Each carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. She also has been charged with soliciting contributions in a government building, a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence.

For the record, this Sun-Sentinel article is thirty-six paragraphs long, and not once is Cooper’s party affiliation mentioned. Oh, and also for the record, yes, I’d hit that.