Star witness defiant as he testifies in corruption trial of ex-Hallandale Beach mayor

Lobbyist Alan Koslow said in Broward County Circuit Court Wednesday that he didn’t recall the details of various interactions he had in 2012 as he executed a scheme to funnel campaign cash to then-Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper.

But Koslow, a once-prominent player in Broward politics whom FBI agents nicknamed “Rooster” because of his cocky demeanor, brought his share of defiance to the witness stand in the state’s corruption case against the former mayor, often contradicting the defense attorney’s characterization of events.

His personality came through especially on cross examination, as Cooper’s lawyer sought to sour the star witness’ credibility for the jury by discussing his past use of cocaine and his relationship with Julia Yaremchuk, a client who helped funnel illegal funds into Cooper’s campaign, according to prosecutors.

When Cooper’s attorney, Larry Davis, asked Koslow if he was using cocaine around the time he became the target of an FBI investigation in 2011, Koslow said: “I regret it now, but yes.”

When Davis followed up by asking Koslow if he had been using the drug since 2004, Koslow replied that there were several years in between when he wasn’t using.

“It was not continuous since 2004,” Koslow said, raising his voice.

Later Wednesday, Davis asked if Koslow had had a sexual relationship with Yaremchuk, who ran a school for families of Russian descent and, according to prosecutors, directed teachers to write $500 checks to Cooper’s campaign to disguise that the money was coming from two FBI agents posing as developers.

“Consensual,” Koslow said in response.

“I’m not saying it’s not consensual,” Davis said.

“I just want to be clear,” Koslow cut in. “Consensual, on-again-off-again.”

Koslow’s testimony drew visible and sometimes audible reactions from courtroom observers, many of whom were Hallandale Beach residents there to support Cooper. At one point, Circuit Judge Martin S. Fein told the gallery to tone down the reactions, saying he would otherwise need to ask people to leave the courtroom.

Koslow is a key witness for the state as it tries to prove Cooper was in on a scheme to have the faux-developers route $5,000 — which was above the $500 legal limit in Hallandale Beach — into Cooper’s 2012 reelection campaign, using Koslow and Yaremchuk as conduits.

Cooper was facing a challenge for her mayoral seat at the time from rival politician Keith London.

Repeatedly, Koslow asked attorneys to refresh his memory about the events of seven years ago. But he did say he believed the campaign contribution scheme was illegal and that Cooper knew about it.

Koslow said “bundling” — or collecting multiple campaign contributions from different individuals within a certain entity and then delivering them to a candidate en masse — is legal. But the individual donors can’t be reimbursed for their contributions, he said, which is what prosecutors say happened in this case.

“If they were reimbursed, it’s inappropriate,” Koslow said. “I believe it’s illegal.”

Koslow also testified that he told Cooper the checks he gave her from the Russian school teachers were actually contributions from the developers, though the details of that purported conversation were fuzzy.

“At some point I know it happened,” Koslow told Assistant State Attorney Catherine Maus when she asked if he had told Cooper the true source of the checks.

After Maus showed him a transcript of a conversation he had with the undercover FBI agents in 2012, Koslow added: “I said that [the money] is really from Jack,” who was one of the agents.

In a later exchange, Maus again asked if Cooper “knew these funds were coming from the developers.”

“In my opinion, yes,” Koslow replied.

Prosecutors say Koslow recommended that the two developers give money to Cooper’s campaign in exchange for support for a real estate project. The Broward State Attorney’s Office, which took the case from the FBI in 2017, and Cooper’s legal team differ on whether there was a “quid pro quo” for Cooper to support the project in exchange for the campaign contributions.

Koslow was unaware at the time that the developers were actually undercover agents recording their interactions as part of an investigation into government corruption in South Broward.

After Cooper won reelection, the FBI set up an unrelated money laundering scheme to ensnare Koslow and flipped him as a confidential informant. Koslow wore a wire for three years before he was convicted of money laundering and spent several months in prison.

Cooper, who was the mayor of Hallandale Beach for 13 years until her arrest in 2018, faces charges of official misconduct, violations of campaign contribution laws, conspiracy to commit such violations, and soliciting a campaign contribution in a government building.

Koslow will be back on the witness stand when the trial resumes Thursday.

This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 7:43 PM.