Atlantic City Mayor Indicted for Allegedly Pressuring Daughter to Withdraw Abuse Allegations

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Marty Small Sr., the Mayor of Atlantic City, has been indicted on a charge of witness tampering. Prosecutors allege that he pressured his daughter to retract her claims of abuse made to law enforcement officials, as stated on Wednesday.

The indictment was issued on Tuesday by a grand jury, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges detail that in September 2024, six months after facing allegations of abuse, Small allegedly requested that his daughter “twist up” her previous statements to police regarding the alleged abuse she experienced.

At 50 years old, Small is accused of asking his daughter to assert that a head injury she incurred on January 13 was the result of a trip and fall in her bedroom. Previously, the mayor was charged with hitting her multiple times in the head with a broom during that incident, which resulted in her losing consciousness.

Small has denied all accusations of abuse, labeling the issue as a private family affair that does not constitute a crime.

In a statement on Wednesday, his attorney, Edwin Jacobs, dismissed the indictment as “another clumsy effort by the county prosecutor to intrude into the private and confidential conversations among members of Marty Small’s family.”

“This illustrates the old adage that a grand jury can be convinced to indict anyone, even a ham sandwich,” Jacobs remarked.

He also mentioned that the girl continues to reside at home with her parents.

The mayor’s wife, La’Quetta Small, who serves as the city’s superintendent of schools, faces child endangerment charges in relation to the original case. She likewise denies any misconduct.

On October 10, the couple appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the initial charges. Both have been accused of child endangerment, with Marty Small additionally facing charges of assault and making terroristic threats.

Authorities stated that both parents emotionally abused and physically assaulted the girl, who was aged 15 to 16, at least once causing her to lose consciousness during the months of December and January.

Prosecutors revealed court documents in April indicating the Smalls objected to their daughter’s boyfriend, who allegedly recorded an instance of the mayor physically and verbally assaulting her via a secret video chat.

An affidavit detailing the case mentions that the girl once admitted to fabricating her accusations out of anger toward her parents for not permitting her to go out with friends. However, other sections of the affidavit include her detailed allegations of real abuse, along with evidence of bruises she photographed and shared with her boyfriend, who subsequently provided this information to detectives.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds’ office referenced various forms of evidence, including recordings from interactions between the girl and her parents, her statements to law enforcement, school authorities, a therapist, and child welfare investigators, along with text messages sent to friends expressing her fears for her safety at home.

By Wayne Parry