Atlantic City City Council President Pleads Guilty to Extortion Charges

This week, Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway pleaded guilty to attempted extortion after being caught accepting more than $36,000 in bribes from an FBI informant. Callaway has a less-than-reputable political history, including public disturbances and gross personal salary increases.

Callaway helped Terry Jacobs, an Atlantic City contractor and, now, FBI informant, redevelop a former department store lot in return for the money. Jacobs pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, opening the door for further investigations in the depths of the Atlantic City, City Council. He has resigned his office and faces jail time for the extortion charges. The sentencing is set for September 12.

This is not the first time Callaway has had trouble with the law –

On August 10, Judge Peter Tourison found him guilty of throwing a brick at a political opponent’s van last year. He was fined $400 in fines and court costs. In 2004, Callaway was asked to leave the Kerry-Edwards campaign after word of his less-than-savory political history reached headquarters. The campaign decided that after a judge voided Callaway’s city council election in 2003 due to the magical appearance of more than 200 absentee ballots, he just wasn’t the man for the job. According to the judge, the election “was so contaminated by fraud and misconduct that the mathematical result must be rendered in doubt”.

This week’s plea should come as no shock to voters or residents of Atlantic City. Until this month, Callaway had not been charged with any illegal action in his campaign or office work. Apparently, his past has caught up with him.