Published on: October 8, 2025, 05:34h.
Updated on: October 8, 2025, 05:37h.
- Braxton sentenced for stabbing during altercation at Harrah’s Casino nightclub.
- Footage captured of knife attack during Thanksgiving weekend scuffle.
- Judge enforced a 7½-year imprisonment under the No Early Release Act.
An Atlantic City resident, aged 27, has been sentenced to seven and a half years in state prison for unlawfully stabbing an individual during a brawl that erupted at the Harrah’s Casino nightclub known as “The Pool,” the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has reported.
Dante Braxton pleaded guilty in August to charges of second-degree aggravated assault and third-degree unlawful weapon possession linked to the 2022 stabbing. As mandated by New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, he will need to complete 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole and will undergo three years of intensive parole supervision upon his release, as stated by the prosecutors.
Altercation Erupts
Authorities were summoned to Harrah’s on November 24, 2022, where they discovered a man suffering from stab wounds to his abdomen and elbow. Surveillance and cellphone recordings from bystanders captured Braxton stabbing the victim in a lounge area amid a series of fights, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. Following the attack, Braxton allegedly pursued the victim outside and threw a metal chair at him.
The victim received medical care for non-fatal stab wounds, according to officials.
Surveillance footage also indicated a security lapse: Braxton triggered a metal detector at entry, but security personnel failed to properly search or wand him, prosecutors revealed.
In March 2023, a judge granted Braxton temporary release following a detention hearing where his defense claimed the supposed victim had no stab wound, referring to it merely as a “poke” in an officer’s report, causing the judge to question the strength of the case given the absence of a recovered weapon.
At that time, Braxton denied the stabbing claims, as reported by BreakingAC. However, he was subsequently remanded into custody for separate drug-related charges and has remained incarcerated since.
Criminal History
In August 2025, Braxton altered his stance and confessed in court to stabbing the victim with a knife, subsequently accepting a plea deal that resulted in the seven-and-a-half-year incarceration. The sentencing hearing held on Monday affirmed this punishment, according to prosecutors.
This sentence coincides with concurrent terms on unrelated charges, including possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, obstruction, and contempt of a Drug Offender Restraining Order, which were also settled as part of the plea agreement.
Braxton had previously completed a five-year prison term linked to a 2017 weapons offense involving a firearm reported stolen from Colorado.
The brawl that took place around Thanksgiving in 2022 attracted significant public attention. The investigation was conducted by the Atlantic City Police Department with support from the prosecutor’s office, with Assistant Prosecutor Chris D’Esposito overseeing the prosecution.