Atlantic City: Corruption, Criminality, Incompetence, & Entitlement [Op Ed]

Atlantic City has had a long history of political corruption. There’s nothing new about that. However, Atlantic City has never seen the likes of what has been going on during the last few years under the Marty Small Administration.

Many Charged, With Many Crimes

Atlantic City has recently seen at least 18 public officials, city employees, and politically connected individuals charged with a variety of crimes ranging from fraud, aggravated assault, witness tampering, official misconduct, child abuse and sexual abuse to murder and election fraud.

What has taken root is a deeply embedded system of political favoritism, nepotism, and unchecked power-centered around Mayor Marty Small and his wife, Atlantic City Schools Superintendent La'Quetta Small.

Marty & La’Quetta Small Are Criminally Charged

In early 2024, both Smalls were criminally charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office and later indicted by an Atlantic County Grand Jury for alleged physical abuse of their teenage daughter … including allegations of beatings with a broom and belt, along with charges of child endangerment, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, and witness tampering.

Their criminal trial is scheduled for July 2025, before the Honorable Bernard DeLury, New Jersey Superior Court Judge.

Is It A Case Of Absolute Power?

The “Small” abuse scandal exposed a tightly interwoven power structure. La'Quetta Small, head of Atlantic City Public Schools, is sorority sisters (Delta Sigma Theta) with indicted Atlantic City High School Principal Constance Days-Chapman, who allegedly tipped off the Smalls rather than reporting the abuse to the proper New Jersey state authority.

Days-Chapman is also:

• Mayor Small's campaign manager.
• A Democratic committee member.
• Former Chair of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee.
• Daughter of a current County Commissioner candidate, who is running to replace Mayor Small's Chief of Staff, Ernest Coursey.
• Connected to Coursey's wife, the Atlantic County Superintendent of Schools — who oversees La'Quetta Small, yet has not acted to suspend or remove her following the criminal abuse charges and indictment.

Further entangled in the alleged cover-up is Toria Young, a secretary at the Atlantic City High School and cousin of the victim. Young, also related to Mayor Small, was charged with misconduct for failing to report the abuse.

The Smalls' influence stretches beyond education and in to community programming.

Michelle Griffin, a former Atlantic City Police Officer, was hired by Marty Small to be the Coordinator of Atlantic City Re-entry Services, which oversees "violence interrupters" despite her 2022 federal conviction for tax fraud and a 2024 DUI.

Several re-entry employees have also been arrested for violent crimes:

• Isaiah Toulson - Indicted for murder in the 2022 killing of Charles Wynn.
• Kamal Allen - Charged with a stabbing while on federal probation.
• Brandon Hargrose - Charged with robbery and domestic violence in 2024.

Public Figures Criminally Charged

Likewise, additional public officials have been charged with serious offenses including:

• Laquay Zahir, former Housing Authority coordinator, pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud for stealing over $30,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.
• Councilman MD Hossain Morshed - Facing charges for voter fraud and falsifying unemployment claims.
• Former Council President Craig Callaway - Charged with election fraud for allegedly  orchestrating fraudulent mail-in ballots … which he has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
• Former Councilman Muhammad Zia was removed for lying about residency and is presently indicted for alleged witness tampering and other charges.

Those With Political Connections

Among those with deeply rooted political ties is Harris Jacobs, charged in a 2022 fatal hit-and-run accident where he allegedly left a man for dead. His father, Joe Jacobs, is a powerful Democratic operative with extensive family ties in the school district.

It appears as though the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will seek to retry Harris Jacobs. The first trial ended in a hung jury.

Joe Jacobs’ brother-in-law, Barry Caldwell, is a former superintendent, and Joe (himself) was previously the district's board solicitor.

Barry Caldwell’s children, Jordan and Peyton Caldwell were hired by the district in 2023.

The Family Business

The Atlantic City School District functions much like a family business. Interim High School Principal Donald Harris, appointed after Days-Chapman's indictment, is married to Richmond Avenue Principal Nicholson Harris. Donald Harris has at least five relatives with jobs, including cousins Gabby Caldwell, McKenzie Harris, and Robert Harris, who all work in the district. Former superintendent R. Mark Harris (also related) still works in the school’s system, too.

These entangled relationships blur the lines of professional oversight and ethical governance.

Meanwhile, India Still, Harris Jacobs' mother and Joe Jacobs ex-wife was recently appointed Executive Director of the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority, with the help of Marty Small.

Likewise, the Atlantic City Police Department is not immune and has had its share of controversies, including:

• Officer Warren Young - Charged with domestic violence and weapons offenses.
• Officer LaQuay DuBose - Accused of theft after spending $35,000 mistakenly deposited into his account.
• Detective Fariyd Holmes - Charged with eluding police and lying about a high-speed chase. His mother, Gina Holmes, is Atlantic City Court Administrator and another sorority sister of Small and Chapman-Days.
• Officer Joshua Munyon, faces first-degree aggravated sexual assault and misconduct charges after an investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office.

At Atlantic City High School, teacher Joseph Scalfaro, is under indictment for sexual misconduct involving a student.

Outside of Atlantic City Hall, Hassan Hameen, an employee of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, was charged with multiple counts of alleged sexual assault and child endangerment for abuse beginning when the victim was five. She recorded Hameen allegedly admitting to the crimes.

The Most Disturbing Of Them All

In perhaps the most chilling connection of them all, Kayan Frazier, La'Quetta Small's cousin, is serving 20 years in federal prison for producing and distributing child sexual abuse material. A former Atlantic City school employee and state child protective services worker, Frazier lived in the Smalls' home for a period of time.

Legal controlling authorities found thousands of exploitative images on Frazier’s devices, including some that he took of a child found in his apartment.

There Has Been No Accountability

Despite this avalanche of scandal, there remains no accountability whatsoever. The state of New Jersey at the highest levels and all of the state monitors in Atlantic City have either failed or refused to do their job.

Many individuals retain their positions, remain on the payroll, or benefit from political protection. Those closest to the mayor and superintendent often operate with impunity in what appears to be a culture of entitlement.

And perhaps no one captures this attitude better than Mayor Marty Small himself, who famously declared in response to his allegedly abused daughter saying that she was going to report the abuse:

"Ok tell them. I don't care - What are they going to do to me?" said Marty Small.

That about sums it all up!

NOTE: This opinion editorial connects some, but, not all of the dots. New York City casino gambling is coming fast. Atlantic City must be cleaned-up in time to mount a proper defense of the Atlantic City Casino Industry … along with the non-gaming destination resort business.

SOURCES: Interviews, documents and Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office publicly released information.