NJ Political Organizer Admits Mail-In Ballot Voter Fraud Scheme

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — A political organizer and former Atlantic City Council president admitted to paying people to get mail-in ballots that he would send in without the voter's knowledge in a voter fraud scheme during the 2022 General Election.

Craig Callaway, 64, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of 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, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna said.

“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,” Khanna said. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we are committed to prosecuting those who criminally seek to undermine impartially conducted elections.”

According to documents, Callaway and people working for him approached numerous people in Atlantic City, promising to pay them $30 to $50 to act as purported authorized messengers for voters who supposedly wished to vote by mail, about one month before the November 2022 election.

These messengers went to the Atlantic County Clerk's Office with anywhere from one to four completed mail-in ballot applications, providing the clerk with proof of identification and signing the authorized messenger portion before handing those signed applications to office personnel, according to federal officials.

The messengers waited while office personnel processed the applications and, if the applications were approved, brought them back to Callaway and his team. The ballots are supposed to be returned directly to the voter named on them, under New Jersey law. Instead, they were cast by Callaway and his team, officials said.

Many of these mail-in ballots were ultimately cast in the names of people who have confirmed that they did not vote in the 2022 General Election – either in person or by submitting a mail-in ballot – and that they did not authorize Callaway, his subordinates, or anyone else, to cast ballots for them, federal officials said. Many of these mail-in ballots were counted towards in the election.

Callaway has worked for both political parties. He was working on Rep. Jeff Van Drew's campaign at the time of the scheme, who has denied knowledge of it.

Callaway previously was sentenced to 40 months in state prison on bribery charges during his time as an Atlantic City councilman. While waiting to report for prison, he orchestrated a sex sting against a political rival, fellow Councilman Eugene Robinson, according to the Associated Press. This led to a three-year prison stint for Callaway.