An Atlantic County man, Craig Callaway, has pleaded guilty to charges related to fraudulent mail-in ballots during the 2022 general election. Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced the plea in Camden federal court before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb.
Callaway, a former President of the City Council of Atlantic City and political organizer, admitted to depriving New Jersey residents of a fair election by participating in a scheme involving unauthorized casting of ballots. "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 Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna.
Documents filed in court revealed that Callaway and his associates approached individuals in Atlantic City around October 2022, offering payments between $30 and $50 to act as authorized messengers for mail-in voting. These messengers submitted Vote-By-Mail Applications at the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office and received mail-in ballots intended for other voters.
Under state law, messengers were required to deliver these ballots directly to voters; however, they handed them over to Callaway or his subordinates instead. Many collected ballots were cast without voter authorization and counted towards the 2022 General Election results.
The investigation involved several agencies including the FBI's Public Corruption Task Force, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, and others under various leaderships credited by Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric A. Boden and James H. Graham are representing the government in this case with sentencing set for June 17, 2025.
Defense counsel is Megan J. Davies from Haddonfield, New Jersey.