Corrupt Atlantic City politician sentenced to prison again, this time for election fraud

ATLANTIC CITY — A former city council president turned controversial political operative who admitted to mail-in ballot fraud heads back to prison.

Craig Callaway was sentenced in Camden federal court on Wednesday to two years in prison.

In February, the 65-year-old pleaded guilty to New Jersey voter fraud by illegal procurement, casting, and tabulation of ballots.

Longtime NJ political operative with record of corruption

Callaway is well known throughout Atlantic City's political world for his time on city council and his efforts to get out the vote.

He was previously convicted of corruption in connection with setting up a former rival on the Atlantic City council, for which he also served a prison term.

Read More: What you need to know about Alex Mendez's NJ election fraud case

Details of Callaway election scheme

Ahead of the November 2022 election, Callaway and others under his direction went around offering $30 to $50 to people, for pretending to be messengers for mail-in voters.

Many of the mail-in ballots collected by Calloway were ultimately cast in the names of voters who confirmed to authorities that they did not vote in the 2022 election—either in-person or by submitting a mail-in ballot — and that they did not authorize anyone to cast ballots for them.

In addition to prison, U.S. District Court Judge Renee Bumb sentenced Callaway to three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Wednesday.

“The right to vote is a fundamental aspect of our democracy, one that the FBI and our law enforcement partners strive to protect,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said in a written release.

“Craig Callaway’s nefarious plot to hijack mail-in ballots resulted in his arrest and subsequent sentencing, and serves as a reminder to like-minded criminals, voter fraud will not be tolerated in New Jersey.”

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