Key facts
- A lawsuit alleges New Jersey State Senator Raj Mukherji exploited the state's marijuana legalization policy.
- The suit was filed by Mukherji's former chief of staff, Justin Shoham.
- Shoham claims Mukherji recruited individuals to be nominal majority owners of dispensaries.
- Shoham alleges he was promised $180,000 for his stake in a dispensary but never received it.
- The lawsuit claims a Springfield, N.J. dispensary incurred over $4 million in debt and was shut down within a year.
New Jersey State Senator Raj Mukherji is facing allegations of exploiting the state's marijuana legalization policies, according to a lawsuit filed by his former chief of staff, Justin Shoham. The lawsuit claims Mukherji, who has had ownership interests in dispensaries in multiple states, recruited individuals from his political circle to serve as majority "owners" of cannabis shops they did not truly control.