Atlantic City cannabis official Kashawn McKinley was charged with soliciting bribes from a cannabis dispensary by the US Attorney for New Jersey Robert Frazer.
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A press release from Frazer’s office said that McKinley and a member of the Atlantic City School Board were charged by complaint with honest services fraud and two counts of soliciting bribes.
Atlantic City Cannabis Corruption
Officially, McKinley is the Atlantic City Director of Constituent Services. Along with Constituent Services, McKinley oversees cannabis policy for Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small by running the Atlantic City Cannabis Commission.
According to case documents and statements made in court, McKinley solicited more than $20,000 in cash and underground legacy cannabis to help a cannabis business open, along with certain fees owed by the business owner to the City of Atlantic City.
The US Attorney’s Office says McKinley received a bribe for his assistance in getting the cannabis business classified as a “micro” cannabis business instead of a standard cannabis business.
This resulted in the business paying a $2,500 annual fee to renew its dispensary license instead of the $25,000 annual fee required for standard cannabis businesses.
Atlantic City Official Demands Assault for Services
In addition, McKinley, in one instance, expected payment in the form of services.
In October 2025, McKinley directed the business owner to assault another person in exchange for McKinley’s official assistance in resolving the fee disputes between the business owner and Atlantic City.
When McKinley was later shown what appeared to be a photograph of the injured victim, McKinley expressed pleasure and assured the cannabis business owner that when it came to the fee disputes with Atlantic City, “you don’t have to worry about nothing.”
McKinley recently had his initial appearance in court before US Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King in federal court in Camden.
The honest services fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The bribery charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
Frazer credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Atlantic City Resident Agency and the FBI’s Atlantic City Public Corruption Task Force. Both are under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, who led the investigation.
The government is represented by Francesca Liquori, Senior Trial Counsel for the Special Prosecutions Division of the US Attorney’s Office, and Assistant United States Attorney Jena Tiernan of the US Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Atlantic City Culture of Corruption
McKinley has been a loyal deputy to Mayor Small, who has had his own issues with corruption and the law.
According to Breaking AC, Small said that he “believes in the justice system, and Kashawn McKinley is innocent until proven guilty, like any other American.”
He has been a leading local official promoting NJ cannabis legalization while many in his position elsewhere were hostile or indifferent. As such, he has appeared on many panels, including an April 2024 panel at the MJ Unpacked cannabis industry convention as well as other similar cannabis panels held by other organizations like Minorities 4 Medical Marijuana in late 2023, pictured above.
Like others, he is part of Atlantic City’s culture of corruption, which is more than 100 years old. It was well dramatized by the great show Boardwalk Empire.
Unfortunately, their efforts to restore the city’s luster are mixed. Casinos in other states and mobile gambling have taken their toll on Atlantic City’s economy.
