Atlantic City Mayor Accused of Beating Daughter ‘Only Guilty of Good Parenting’

Posted on: January 17, 2025, 09:55h. 

Last updated on: January 17, 2025, 10:16h.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. (D) is maintaining his innocence on the many allegations brought against him that he physically and emotionally abused his teenage daughter.

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small abuse
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small arrives at a New Jersey Superior Court to face child endangerment and witness tampering charges on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. Small and his wife are accused of physically and emotionally harming their teenage daughter. (Image: NBC)

Last April, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office charged Small, 51, with second-degree child endangerment. The mayor was also charged with making third-degree terroristic threats, committing third-degree aggravated assault, and a disorderly persons simple assault.

Small’s wife, Dr. La’Quetta Small, 48, was also charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, plus three counts of disorderly persons simple assault.

Prosecutors allege the Smalls levied physical and emotional abuse on their 15/16-year-old daughter between December 2023 and January 2024. Law enforcement claims that the mayor hit his daughter with a broomstick multiple times, with one incident resulting in her losing consciousness. He’s also alleged to have threatened to “smack the weave out” of her head and throw her down a flight of stairs.

In November, the charges against Small mounted with a witness tampering allegation after prosecutors said there was evidence to suggest that the mayor told his daughter to backtrack on what she previously told law enforcement.

Mayor Maintains Innocence

On Thursday, Small was in Atlantic County’s Superior Court where he pleaded not guilty to the witness tampering charge. Atlantic County Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Fischer told Judge Bernard DeLury that the evidence will show that the mayor asked his daughter to “twist up” the story and “do him a favor.”

Small’s attorney, Jordan Barbone, refuted the allegations.

A father who explains to his child the value of being truthful is only guilty of good parenting, not witness tampering,” Barbone said. “Small entered his plea of not guilty because he is completely innocent.”

Later on Thursday, Small and his wife appeared in court for a status hearing on their original charges. They pleaded not guilty in October. If convicted of all charges, the Smalls face years in prison and fines of up to $150K.

Prosecutors allege that Mrs. Small punched her daughter multiple times in the chest, which resulted in bruising. The charges also allege that she dragged her daughter by her hair during another incident.

It’s been reported that the teen’s boyfriend recorded the abuse via Facetime.

State Control 

Most of Atlantic City’s governances remain under the state’s control. In June 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) extended the takeover, which began under the Chris Christie (R) administration in 2010, by another four years.

The takeover was designed to rein in the city’s runaway expenses, high taxes, poor governance, and other enduring financial woes. The state possesses most powers in the seaside gaming town, including the negotiating of union contracts, hiring and firing of city employees, selling and buying city assets, and overseeing the actions of the Atlantic City Council.

Though he didn’t address Atlantic City during his State of the State speech this week, Murphy said in September that “Mayor Small should consider whether he can continue effectively serving the people of Atlantic City.”

Small responded by telling reporters that “the governor clearly didn’t say I should step down.” He added that his administration is “doing a great job” and that he has “all the love, respect, and support from the people of Atlantic City.”