Federal prosecutors say Kashawn “Kash” McKinley solicited tens of thousands of dollars, marijuana and even an assault in exchange for using his Atlantic City positions to help a cannabis business.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — An Atlantic City official and school board member is facing federal corruption charges after investigators accused him of taking cash and marijuana from a cannabis business owner, manipulating city fees and directing the owner to have another man assaulted.
Kashawn McKinley, 42, also known as “Kash,” was charged by federal complaint with honest services fraud and two counts of soliciting bribes. He made his initial appearance Sept. 24 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sharon A. King in Camden, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
At the time of the alleged conduct, McKinley served as Atlantic City’s director of constituent services, sat on the city’s Cannabis Review Board and was an elected member of the Atlantic City Board of Education.
Complaint Alleges $20,000 Payment Began Scheme
The allegations stretch back to late 2022 and early 2023, according to the federal criminal complaint.
Prosecutors say the owner of an Atlantic City cannabis dispensary approached McKinley for help navigating inspections and other issues associated with opening the business.
The complaint alleges McKinley met the business owner in the parking lot of a closed Atlantic City restaurant and offered to help for $20,000.
“We all need to eat,” McKinley allegedly said while explaining the arrangement.
Over roughly three months, prosecutors say the business owner paid McKinley $20,000 in cash in two installments and also provided cannabis samples at McKinley’s request.
The dispensary was subsequently approved and opened for business, according to the complaint.
Federal investigators allege McKinley did not disclose the source or amount of the alleged payments on a required financial disclosure form.
Feds Say McKinley Told Business Owner to Have Man Beaten
The most serious allegation detailed in the complaint surfaced during a later dispute over city licensing fees and taxes.
By 2025, prosecutors say the dispensary owner believed the business had been improperly billed more than $25,000 in fees and taxes.
McKinley allegedly proposed helping get the dispensary reclassified from a standard cannabis business to a “micro” business. Under the city fee structure described in the complaint, a standard mercantile license carried a $25,000 annual fee while a micro license cost $2,500.
But investigators say McKinley wanted something else in return.
The complaint alleges McKinley directed the business owner to physically assault another Atlantic City business owner who had been critical of an unnamed public official’s administration.
“Get him beat up,” McKinley allegedly told the dispensary owner, according to the complaint.
Federal authorities say the dispensary owner later showed McKinley what appeared to be a photograph of the injured man.
McKinley allegedly appeared pleased and told the business owner, “you don’t have to worry about nothing.”
The complaint says investigators interpreted that statement as McKinley assuring the business owner that the licensing and tax problems would be handled after the alleged assault.
Prosecutors Allege More Cash Payments Followed
The alleged arrangement continued after the November 2025 Atlantic City elections, according to the complaint.
Federal investigators say McKinley told city employees to reclassify the dispensary as a micro business.
During one conversation, prosecutors allege McKinley told the business owner that the license would cost $3,000 and that he had instructed other city workers to issue it.
When the owner asked whether the “3K” was for McKinley or for the city, McKinley allegedly replied, “That’s for me.”
The business owner then gave McKinley $3,000 in cash during a December 2025 meeting, along with cannabis samples, prosecutors allege.
The complaint states that the cannabis samples allegedly provided during the overall arrangement were valued at more than $1,000.
Complaint Describes $25,000 City Refund
The federal filing also details a separate dispute involving a refund the business owner believed the city owed the dispensary.
In January 2026, prosecutors say McKinley told the owner, “Let me work my magic,” while discussing a potential $25,000 refund.
McKinley allegedly also said, “All I know is I need half,” which investigators said the business owner understood as a demand for roughly $12,500.
The Atlantic City Council later approved a refund of more than $25,000, and the business owner received the payment in February, according to the complaint.
On March 3, prosecutors say the owner met McKinley and handed him an envelope containing $6,000.
Federal investigators characterized that payment as a kickback for McKinley’s alleged assistance resolving the dispensary’s fee and tax disputes.
Federal Complaint Lists Two Bribery Periods
The complaint charges McKinley with honest services fraud covering conduct from early 2023 through March 2026.
Two separate bribery counts allege he solicited or accepted approximately $20,000 between November 2022 and October 2023 and another $9,000 between July 2025 and March 2026.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency and the FBI Atlantic City Public Corruption Task Force.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. said following the filing of the charges that McKinley had been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the case.
McKinley’s case adds another federal investigation to the political landscape in Atlantic City, where government conduct and public corruption cases have repeatedly drawn state and federal scrutiny.
The allegations remain unproven. McKinley is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.
