Cooper shell committee closed

Friends of the 158th, the shell committee created in January by disgraced former Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, was officially closed today, according to Missouri Ethics Commission records, and six Cape Girardeau charitable organizations will benefit from its demise.
An addendum statement to the termination report indicates committee treasurer Victor Gunn doled out $64,444.20 to the charities, giving $10,140 apiece to the Cape Girardeau Habitat for Humanity, Cape Girardeau Salvation Army, Cape Girardeau Teen Challenge, Cape Girardeau United Way, Cape Girardeau Senior Center, and the Cape Girardeau Boys and Girls Club.
An additional $10,460 was returned to the donors, according to the report.
Cooper pleaded guilty in U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to immigration fraud charges and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Most of the money from the 158th account, came when Cooper closed his campaign committee in early August and funneled all of his money into the shell committee.