Longtime political operative Craig Callaway, a former Atlantic City council president, was arrested Thursday on federal ballot fraud charges related to the 2022 general election. Federal prosecutors allege Callaway organized a scheme to illegally harvest mail-in ballots.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Philip Sellinger, said, “Today’s charge reflects our office’s commitment to hold to account those who try to undermine the electoral process.” If found guilty, Callaway faces a minimum of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Callaway has served time in federal prison for bribery and his role in a sex sting operation. After his release, he was hired by several prominent elected officials in New Jersey, including U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) in 2022.

Van Drew’s campaign issued a statement saying the congressman “received nearly 140,000 votes in the November Election, only 851 of which came from vote-by-mail ballots in Atlantic City — far fewer than his Democrat opponent, and his margin of victory was nearly 45,000 votes districtwide … We never have and never would condone any illegal activity.”

Callaway most recently worked for the campaign of Atlantic City Democratic Councilwoman LaToya Dunston. Dunston won her primary in June by six votes, swelled by a large number of vote-by-mail ballots. We reached out to Dunston for comment but received no response.