BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
STARKE— A former Starke attorney already serving a 21-month sentence for grand theft was arraigned recently on additional and unrelated charges.
Johnie Steven Cooper, 61 was arraigned on Dec. 8 for a case involving investment fraud and another claiming he overbilled an estate for his services.
Took money for stock purchase
According to a warrant affidavit, the victim told Bradford sheriff’s detective James Crews that in December 2019, Cooper offered to buy 5,000 shares for the victim in Canopy Communications Group, an entity on which Cooper formally served on the board of directors and held a five-percent stake.
The victim provided Crews with a contract between herself and Cooper.
“(The contract) stated John Cooper would buy the said shares in his name and hold for (the victim) in his trust,” wrote Crews in the affidavit. “Upon sale of the said shares, the sum of $75,000 would be first reimbursed to (the victim), then the remaining proceeds would be split 2/3 (the victim), 1/3 Cooper.”
Crews added that through subpoenaed bank records, he discovered Cooper deposited the victim’s check into his trust account and withdrew the money the following day.
Crews wrote that he contacted a current director of Canopy Communications Group.
“I explained the current case with (the director) and he explained this is not the first time the company has heard of Cooper attempting to sell stock in the company,” Crews wrote. “(The director) advised the company never received any of the funds and would not have accepted the funds either way; the company stock was not shareable and said so in the bylaws of the company.”
In 2018, representatives of Canopy Communications offered to help the City of Starke build its own high speed internet network within the municipality. City officials later decided not to proceed with the project.
Overbilled estate
In a second case, the personal representative of an estate told a Bradford sheriff’s deputy that Cooper was hired in Sept. of 2018 to collect mortgage payments for the estate.
According to a warrant affidavit, over the next two years the attorney collected over $25,000 for the estate, then billed the entity $24,383.75 for his services.
On March 30, 2021 a circuit judge ruled that reasonable compensation for Cooper’s legal services were $3,000 and ordered Cooper to refund $21,383.75 to the estate.
Corporal Logan Hough wrote in the warrant affidavit that based on the judge’s ruling and the fact that the fees were not refunded, there was probable cause that Cooper committed grand theft.
On April 6, Cooper was sentenced to 21 months in prison for failing to refund $53,098 in trust account funds to the owner of a self-storage facility, after a sale of the property fell through.
