Missouri
Missouri cannabis microbusiness ‘mentor’ connected to licenses under state investigation • Missouri Independent
The Missouri Cannabis Trade Association describes David Brodsky as “instrumental in developing the Missouri microbusiness community” and a mentor to disadvantaged business owners.
In his cannabis consulting work, Brodsky is part of a group that charges up to $4,000 to help eligible applicants enter the microbusiness lottery. It’s a program intended to help steer small-scale marijuana facility licenses to disabled veterans, those with lower incomes and people with non-violent marijuana offenses.
That price doesn’t include the state’s $1,500 refundable submission fee.
“We have also assisted clients who won licenses in lottery based application systems in Ohio and Connecticut and have never had an application that did not meet the criteria to go into the lottery,” Brodsky and his partners say on MOmicrolicense.com.
Yet in Missouri, microbusiness applications connected to Brodsky have repeatedly run into problems with state regulators.
Of the 96 microbusiness licenses issued by the state through a lottery since the program’s inception last year, Brodsky is connected to seven. And all of them are under investigation or facing revocation because the state questions whether a qualified applicant will actually be running the business.
Cannabis regulators concerned about predatory practices in Missouri’s social equity program
In October, the Division of Cannabis Regulation sent letters of pending revocation to four of the seven licensees connected to Brodsky, stating that their agreements included “false or misleading information.”
“The licensee entered into an agreement that transfers ownership and operational control to another entity,” the letters stated.
Notices of investigation were issued involving the other three licenses back in July, stating regulators wanted to ensure the businesses continue “to be majority owned and operated by eligible individuals.”
For more than a year, The Independent has documented the pattern of well-connected groups and individuals flooding the microbusiness lottery by recruiting people to submit applications and then offering them contracts that limited their profit and control of the business.
State regulators have been sounding the alarm about the scheme, warning of potentially predatory practices in the microbusiness application process.
Financial agreements for the seven licenses connected to Brodsky are closed records. But The Independent was able to obtain a portion of one agreement connected to Brodsky through a public records request last year.
The agreement only provides the qualified applicant with one-third of the voting power to make company decisions.
An almost identical agreement was used to recruit applicants by John Payne, who led the campaign to legalize marijuana in 2022. Payne’s listed as part of the momicrolicense.com team and is the designated contact for all seven licenses connected to Brodsky.
Payne has drawn scrutiny after The Independent revealed he asked at least one applicant to sign a 47-page contract that would give him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business.
Despite only owning a fraction of the business, under state law the applicants would be seen as the owner and bear all of the regulatory scrutiny. If applicants ever want to walk away from the deal, they would be required to pay a nearly $1 million fee.
It’s unclear if the financial agreement in that contract is also in place for the licenses connected to Brodsky or his business partner, Scott Wootton. In an email to The Independent, they declined to comment on their roles in the seven licenses “due to confidentiality clauses in the agreements, which is standard practice in business contracts.”
However, they said Payne “has no involvement beyond being the designated contact to handle communications with the division” for all seven licenses.
Andrew Mullins, executive director of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, said he’s seen contracts that look like Payne’s 47-page agreement. In some cases, he said if it weren’t for these types of agreements, the licensees wouldn’t have the resources on their own to make a business work.
“Were it not for some of those partners and the way that they’re doing that,” he said, “you basically would have people who have a license but no ability to do anything with it.”
If the 47-page contract was submitted to a federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, it could be considered fraud, said attorney Rod Chapel, president of the Missouri NAACP.
“When I go and I get a loan to buy a house that I don’t have the cash to actually buy, the bank does not send over two tellers and a dog to live in the house with me – not how that works,” he said. “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s why this is a front.”
Flooding the lottery
Brodsky helped establish the networking group Missouri Microbusiness Association, where he and Wootton serve as advisors. All of the association’s advisors are also advisory board members for MoCann, which represents the cannabis industry overall.
On a September call with microbusiness licensees, Brodsky said Missouri is the fourth state he’s operated a cannabis business in, along with California, Colorado and Illinois. He returned to Missouri in 2020 as a dispensary owner and operator, he said on the community call hosted by a licensee.
His association bio states that he sold his stake in Farmer’s Wife cannabis dispensaries in southwest Missouri in 2023, and “dove headfirst into the new Missouri microbusiness license opportunity.”
Similar to most of the microbusiness licenses and their investors, Brodsky and Wootton’s connection is buried in Missouri Secretary of State business filings and documents only available through public-records requests.
This spring, there were more than 80 dispensary applications entered into the lottery with the same St. Peters location address as MO Microbusiness LLC. Brodsky and Wootton are listed as organizers on the MO Microbusiness LLC business filings.
Two of those applications were successful in the lottery and licenses were issued under the name “Individual.” Both are facing revocation.
The partners are also connected to 65 wholesale applications that all share the same Elsberry location address. They landed two of those licenses to cultivate up to 250 plants and sell to microbusiness dispensaries.
Both are filed under the name “Individual” and are facing revocation.
The first lottery for microbusiness licenses took place last year, and that same Elsberry address is on nearly 70 wholesale applications. They were all filed by LLCs organized by Cloverleaf Registered Agent, where Wootton is listed as president.
Two of these applicants landed licenses issued to TEB Industries LLC and JRS Industries LLC. In July, state regulators sent Payne notices of investigation for both companies, and the investigation is still underway, according to the division.
A similar Elsberry address is also connected to 70 dispensary applications submitted to last year’s lottery. One license was issued to Green Zebra LLC in October 2023. It’s been under investigation by state regulators since July.
Brodsky mentions this license in his association bio.
“We were fortunate,” it states, “to win a dispensary license in Congressional District 3 with the first lottery round that we will be branding as Heirloom Dispensary along with several others throughout the state.”
The eligible applicant who won the license for Green Zebra signed a contract accepting a loan from Black Krim LLC, where Brodsky is the sole member, according to documents The Independent obtained through a public records request.
The contract established a three-member board that would vote on all company decisions. The lender and the “consultant” each get to select a member.
That left the qualified applicant with only one-third of the voting power.
“While you are correct that technically it only takes a 2/3 vote to make day-to-day decisions for the business,” Brodsky said in an email to The Independent, “in practice we have made all day-to-day business decisions unanimously, and we do not anticipate that changing in the future.”
He also said the majority of the three managers for Green Zebra “are and will continue to be” qualifying individuals for the microbusiness program.
The loan information for the Green Zebra contract is a closed record. However, the available operating agreement is almost identical to the one Payne used to recruit applicants this spring that legal experts called “predatory.”
“To clarify, the rest of the Green Zebra LLC contracts, including the operating agreement, have been reviewed and approved by,” regulators, Brodsky stated.
New rules
Division of Cannabis Regulation Director Amy Moore told The Independent last month that the state is considering making changes to the application process to curb potentially predatory practices.
However, she said many of the possible changes would require a public hearing before a legislative committee for approval and would delay a third round of licenses.
Mullins told The Independent he believes the association would support these changes if they encourage participation.
“In some ways, I’m not sure it’s completely DCR’s obligation to be sort of in between a business owner and the business dealings that they’re doing,” Mullins said, “unless it’s something that’s in opposition to the law.”
However, he believes the association would be supportive of rules that curb practices that could be “hurtful” to microbusiness owners.
“We want to see the micro industry succeed in the same way that we want to see the rest of the industry succeed,” Mullins said, “and we’re supportive of all that. So if there’s an area where we can lend our voice and it helps ensure the success of those microbusiness owners’ journeys, then I don’t know why we would come out against it.”
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The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing
07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing
Midday: 5-8-9
Midday Wild: 8
Evening: 8-8-2
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing
Midday: 0-3-5-7
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 0-9-9-5
Evening Wild: 6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 3 drawing
Early Bird: 13
Morning: 15
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 14
Night Owl: 14
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from March 3 drawing
04-07-09-17-21
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Missouri state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has launched a review of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis’ finances.
The audit is in response to complaints from a whistleblower who alerted the office to possible misuse of funds, Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. The auditor’s office then reviewed documents provided by RAC during an initial investigation before launching a full audit.
“We have verified the veracity of the whistleblower complaint, and have seen with our own eyes at this point records that give us enough concern that we want to proceed with an audit,” Fitzpatrick said.
The auditor’s report could be released late this year or in early 2027, he added. It would then be up to state and local authorities to follow up on any potential misconduct.
In an unsigned statement, RAC said it receives an annual audit from a firm selected by the offices of the St. Louis mayor and St. Louis County executive and that it shares the results publicly. “[We] are confident the findings from the state will mirror the success we have come to expect at the local level,” the statement says.
“We welcome the opportunity to provide documentation and context regarding our financial practices and grantmaking processes. As always, RAC will continue to focus on serving the St. Louis region’s arts and cultural community and maintaining the public’s trust,” the statement adds.
Potential issues identified in the state auditor’s initial investigation include the possibilities that RAC’s administrative expenses exceed what is allowed by statute, that leaders issued bonuses disallowed by the state constitution and that large grants were issued with no follow-up to ensure the money was used properly.
Fitzpatrick said his actions are not related to the commission’s choice of grant recipients.
Changes to the grant process
RAC distributes annual grants to arts organizations in St. Louis and St. Louis County. It is funded by a tax on hotel and motel stays. The commission distributed $3.7 million last year.
The organization suspended grant applications for fiscal 2026 due to “continuing financial volatility” and a new five-year plan, according to a note on its website. It will use applications received in 2025 as a guide for its 2026 grants.
Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis
“This pause allows RAC to support eligible and high-scoring 2025 grantees and applicants while navigating financial challenges and planning for a stronger, more sustainable grant program in the future,” the note says.
RAC publishes a list of its annual grants online.
Vanessa Cooksey became president and CEO of the organization in 2020 after it spent a year without a permanent leader. Previous chief Felicia Shaw had stepped down in November 2019. Neither Shaw nor RAC provided a public explanation for Shaw’s departure.
Some smaller organizations had complained that during Shaw’s tenure they stopped receiving annual grants.
The Regional Arts Commission had a $13.4 million budget in 2024, according to tax documents. Cooksey received a $196,253 salary and $28,652 in additional compensation.
Continuing a process begun by Shaw, Cooksey oversaw changes to grant applications that she said were meant to simplify the process – including removing a longstanding split between its funding mechanisms for large and small organizations.
A key arts funder after the coronavirus pandemic
In November 2022, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to direct $10.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to RAC. A measure that would have allocated another $1.6 million failed to pass the St. Louis County Council, so RAC was statutorily required to distribute ARPA funds only to groups based in St. Louis.
RAC has distributed $9.5 million of the ARPA money so far, funding 195 individual artists and 75 organizations.
Arts leaders said in 2022 that the sector supports more than 19,000 jobs and generates nearly $600 million a year – more than all local sports franchises combined.
The federal money was a boon to St. Louis artists and arts organizations following a steep decrease in funding at the height of the coronavirus pandemic due to decreased tourism in the region.
Tax revenues earmarked for RAC decreased from $9.5 million in fiscal 2019 to $2.8 million the next year. Tax revenue directed to RAC have increased but still lag behind the pre-pandemic total. The commission reported $7.5 million in tax revenue received in fiscal 2024.
RAC presented a new five-year plan with much fanfare in March 2020 but had little initial opportunity to implement it. Not long after, St. Louis officials put limits on public gatherings to tamp down spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Commission officials released a new five-year strategic roadmap in December 2025.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing
Midday: 3-3-4
Midday Wild: 2
Evening: 4-8-9
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing
Midday: 6-4-2-2
Midday Wild: 5
Evening: 2-8-2-4
Evening Wild: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 2 drawing
Early Bird: 08
Morning: 12
Matinee: 05
Prime Time: 04
Night Owl: 02
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from March 2 drawing
13-17-18-23-28
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing
21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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