Atlantic City Mayor Indicted on Witness Tampering Charge
What to Know
- Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. was indicted with witness tampering after Atlantic County prosecutors accused him of asking his daughter to lie about how she sustained a head injury.
- The Democratic mayor and his wife, La’Quetta, were previously charged with assault and abuse.
- Prosecutors say Marty Small asked his daughter to do him a favor and “twist up” the story she had previously told police about alleged abuse allegations she made against him specifically by asking her to state that she tripped and fell in her room when her head was injured.
- “This indictment proves the old adage: a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich,” Small’s attorney wrote. “This is especially true when the indictment is good for grabbing a headline.”
Atlantic City’s mayor, already accused of abusing his teenage daughter, now faces a charge that he asked her to lie about how she sustained a head injury.
Background
Marty Small Sr., 50, was indicted Tuesday, December 17, 2024, with third-degree witness tampering involving the girl, whom he and his wife, La’Quetta — the New Jersey seaside gambling resort city’s superintendent of schools — were previously charged with assaulting and abusing.
Allegations
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, said Marty Small, a 50-year-old Democrat, asked his daughter to “twist up” a statement she had given to investigators regarding his alleged abuse of her back in January.
“It is alleged that during the month of September 2024, while criminal charges against him were pending for abusing his juvenile daughter, J.S., the defendant asked his daughter to do him a favor and ‘twist up’ the story she had previously told police about alleged abuse allegations she made against him specifically by asking her to state that she tripped and fell in her room when her head was injured,” prosecutors wrote.
“This was in reference to an alleged incident on January 13, 2024, when Marty Small, Sr. is alleged to have hit his daughter multiple times in the head with a broom causing her to lose consciousness,” prosecutors added.
Defense Response
Back in November, Small’s lawyer, Edwin Jacobs, called the latest charge “sheer nonsense,” adding that Small asked his daughter to tell the truth about what happened.
“When a parent encourages a child to be accurate and truthful in statements to investigators, that parent is not witness tampering,” Jacobs said at the time. “That parent is doing what a good, responsible parent should do. And that is precisely what Marty Small has done.”
Jacobs called the charge “one more effort by the prosecuting authority to second-guess my client’s parenting and corrupt his relationship with his daughter.”
In a new statement released following the indictment, Jacobs said, “it is very unusual for discussions between parents and their children to be of any interest whatsoever to a county prosecutor.”
“This indictment proves the old addage: a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich,” Jacobs wrote. “This is especially true when the indictment is good for grabbing a headline.”
Conclusion
The indictment against Marty Small Sr. highlights the serious nature of the allegations against him and his wife, La’Quetta. The case is a grave concern for the people of Atlantic City, and it is crucial that justice is served in this matter.
FAQs
Q: What is the charge against Marty Small Sr.?
A: He is charged with third-degree witness tampering.
Q: What is the alleged incident that prompted the charge?
A: Marty Small allegedly asked his daughter to “twist up” a statement she had given to investigators regarding his alleged abuse of her back in January.
Q: What is the response from the defense?
A: Small’s lawyer, Edwin Jacobs, has denied the allegations, calling them “sheer nonsense” and stating that Small asked his daughter to tell the truth about what happened.
Q: What is the next step in the case?
A: The case will proceed to trial, and a date has not been set yet.
