Camden, N.J. – An Atlantic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in the procurement, casting, and tabulation of fraudulent mail-in ballots submitted in connection with the general election held on November 8, 2022, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Craig Callaway, 64, a former member and President of the City Council of Atlantic City and a political organizer who assisted campaigns for elected offices in New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to an Information charging him with depriving, defrauding, and attempting to deprive and defraud the residents of the State of New Jersey of a fair and impartially conducted election process by the fraudulent procurement, casting, and tabulation of ballots.
“Today’s sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to undermine New Jersey’s electoral process: that such conduct will result in serious consequences. The sentence also reflects our Office’s commitment to protecting free and fair elections, one of the bedrock principles of our democracy.”
— U.S. Attorney Alina Habba
“The right to vote is a fundamental aspect of our democracy, one that the FBI and our law enforcement partners strive to protect. 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,”
— FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Beginning in or about October 2022, approximately one month before the general election held on November 8, 2022, Callaway and others who were working at Callaway’s direction approached numerous individuals in Atlantic City, promising to pay them between approximately $30 and $50 to act as purported authorized messengers for voters who supposedly wished to vote by mail.
After receiving Vote-By-Mail Applications from Callaway or his subordinates, these purported messengers entered the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office carrying one to four completed applications. Inside, they provided identification and signed the messenger portion of the application, then handed it over to office personnel. If approved, the office would provide mail-in ballots for the listed voters.
Under New Jersey law, a messenger must deliver the mail-in ballot directly to the requesting voter and certify this action. Instead, after receiving the ballots, the messengers handed them to Callaway or his subordinates.
Many ballots collected this way were cast in the names of voters who confirmed they had not voted in the 2022 General Election and had not authorized anyone else to vote for them. These ballots were nonetheless counted in the election.
In addition to the prison term, Chief Judge Bumb sentenced Callaway to three years of supervised release.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Atlantic City Public Corruption Task Force, including multiple federal, state, and local partners.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James H. Graham.
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