An Atlantic County man has admitted to submitting fraudulent mail-in ballots in the 2022 general election, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna. Craig Callaway, a former member and President of the City Council of Atlantic City, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb in Camden federal court.
Callaway was charged with depriving and defrauding New Jersey residents of a fair election process through fraudulent ballot procurement, casting, and tabulation. "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," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna.
Documents filed in court reveal that starting around October 2022, Callaway and his associates approached individuals in Atlantic City offering payments between $30 and $50 to act as authorized messengers for voters supposedly wishing to vote by mail. These messengers submitted completed Vote-By-Mail Applications at the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office and received mail-in ballots intended for listed voters.
Under state law, messengers must deliver mail-in ballots directly to requesting voters. However, these ballots were handed over to Callaway or his subordinates instead of being delivered to the voters. Many collected ballots were cast in names of voters who confirmed they did not participate in the 2022 General Election.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited multiple agencies including the FBI's Public Corruption Task Force and other law enforcement partners for their role in the investigation leading to this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric A. Boden and James H. Graham are representing the government in this matter. Sentencing is set for June 17, 2025.
