Atlantic City political organizer, pleaded guilty to election fraud charges

Craig Callaway, a 64-year-old former Atlantic City Council President and political organizer, pleaded guilty today to charges of election fraud related to the 2022 general election.

Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced that Callaway admitted to orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently procure, cast, and tabulate mail-in ballots during the November 8, 2022, election.

Numerous national and state-level studies show that voter fraud is incredibly rare in the United States but the Trump campaign has claimed, without evidence, that Democratic candidates benefit from widespread fraud.

Those unfounded claims about electoral fraud eventually resulted in a mob of terrorists sacking the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, in a violent effort incited by Trump to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

Some political observers in South Jersey say Callaway gave Democrat-turned-Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew the edge in his bitter 2nd Congressional District battle with Tim Alexander, a Black man who as a teenager was shot at, beaten, and arrested by three white police officers in Newark in a case of mistaken identity — then went on to a decadeslong career in law enforcement.

“Congressman Van Drew’s willingness to collaborate with Mr. Callaway, fully aware of his criminal history and propensity for fraudulent activities, is unconscionable and disqualifying,” said Alexander. “The fundamental principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability in our elections are what sustain our democracy. The actions of Congressman Van Drew and Craig Callaway have not only tarnished the electoral process but have also betrayed the trust of the citizens of the Second District.”

Van Drew won a second term in 2020 by defeating Amy Kennedy, a Democratic Atlantic County native who is married to former United States congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.

Callaway appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court, where he pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with depriving New Jersey residents of a fair and impartial election process. The charges stem from his role in a scheme to cast ballots on behalf of voters who did not participate in the election.

Van Drew responded to Callaway’s guilty plea by calling for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) board members to resign.

“The defendant admitted to depriving New Jersey residents of a fair election by participating in a scheme to cast ballots for voters who did not vote in the election,” said Khanna. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to prosecuting those who criminally seek to undermine impartially conducted elections.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, Callaway’s scheme began in October 2022, approximately one month before the general election. Callaway and individuals working under his direction approached numerous Atlantic City residents, offering to pay them between $30 and $50 to act as authorized messengers for voters who purportedly wished to vote by mail.

These individuals, acting as messengers, submitted Vote-By-Mail Applications at the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office. They provided identification, signed the applications as authorized messengers, and received mail-in ballots for the voters listed on the applications.

Under New Jersey law, messengers are required to deliver mail-in ballots directly to the voters who requested them and certify that they have done so.

However, instead of delivering the ballots to the voters, the messengers handed them over to Callaway or his subordinates.

Many of these ballots were later cast in the names of voters who confirmed they did not vote in the 2022 general election—either in person or by mail—and did not authorize anyone to cast ballots on their behalf.

A significant number of those fraudulent ballots were counted in the election.

Callaway’s street operation in Atlantic City, fueled by $110,000 from Van Drew, probably netted thousands of votes for the Republican from Black voters and other residents who usually vote Democratic.

Van Drew was elected with 52.9% of the vote as the Democratic nominee in the 2018 election, but he joined the Republican Party shortly after opposing the first Trump impeachment on December 18, 2019.

The investigation was conducted by a coalition of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency’s Public Corruption Task Force, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, the Atlantic City Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police. Additional support was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Callaway’s sentencing is scheduled for June 17, 2025.  Callaway previously spent 42 months in prison following a federal bribery conviction that ended his career as city council president.