‘Operation Steal Pier’
Reeling in 'Frankie The Fish'

Part 9 of a multi-part series documenting the FBI corruption probe in Atlantic City by the Atlantic Daily Sentinel. The stories includes four years of coverage that was gathered and held for publication while the FBI completed their work in Atlantic City, Camden, Philadelphia and Texas.

By VIRGINIA McCABE
Published Oct. 12, 2007

Atlantic City Realtor Frank Barbera chose September 5, 2007 to die. The bullet he fired from the gun he held tore through his chest, but it missed his heart. Barbera would live to face criminal charges and the shame they bring.

Atlantic City’s last unpolished crown jewels are Bader Field and Garden Pier. The game to acquire these properties is on. For one man it proved to be almost deadly. In the rough and tumble world of Atlantic City Politics, Bader Field was the greatest prize. Even Governor Corzine holds an interest in seeing it developed..

It was near lunchtime when the phone rang September 5. The voice on the other end told me that Frank Barbera was in the trauma unit due to a gunshot.

“The Fish just shot himself,” said the caller. “They don’t think he is going to make it.”

The caller went on to tell me that he shot himself in the chest and the shot was heard by nearby fisherman.

“Are they sure he shot himself? Could it have been a murder attempt?” I asked.

Barbera had served as the treasurer of the Atlantic County Republican Party. He had many friends, but people also spoke unkindly of him. Democrats called him "Gormley's Bag Man," referring to former Senator Bill Gormley. Republicans said he knew where all the bodies were buried, meaning he knew the long history of the Republican power brokers in the county.

I hung up the phone. I was stunned at hearing the news that Barbera had shot himself. I contacted a number of my sources who confirmed the story and details. The Atlantic City Police later issued a statement through a police lieutenant.

I called an FBI Agent who knew Barbera.

“I just called to tell you ‘The Fish’ just shot himself in the chest.”

The agent already knew what had happened, but he would not speculate on why. He clearly did not want to talk about the matter and sounded a bit tense and strange.

I had been interested in Barbera since March 2005 when his name first surfaced in connection with a federal investigation into Atlantic City politicians and those who would bribe them. I spoke to a high ranking Republican official to inquire about Barbera. A few minutes after that call, Barbera called me himself.

He joked about being caught up in a federal probe, denied the information and promised to give me an exclusive interview if he was caught. Over the next two years, I would contact Barbera and ask him if he was ready to sit down and talk. Each time I called him, he was polite and continued to deny the charge.

There were varying accounts of Barbera and how he conducted business. He earned the moniker “The Fish,” because his family had owned a fish market in Atlantic City. Some people said Barbera was a clever businessman, others said he was boastful and loved to pick up tabs and he was a big spender. He served on many civic boards, organizations and did a lot of good for the community.

I was still trying to figure Barbera out when I received credible conformation that Barbera was caught paying bribes and acting as a “consultant” on projects in the city.

“Business as usual.”

The consultant fees allegedly came from big developers. He reportedly took a small portion of the money and paid off former Atlantic City Councilman Craig Callaway to help him with projects in the city. Callaway is now serving a three-year-sentence in a federal prison.

Last year, I contacted Eddie DeNick, a former Atlantic City Police Officer and operator and Barbera on the same day within minutes of each other. I told them I was running a story the next day about their involvement with Operation Steal Pier. Within minutes of that call, I received a phone call from the FBI.

I was firmly told not to contact Barbera or DeNick again because they were still working for the FBI as informants. Apparently my phone calls to them had shaken them up. I was told if I revealed their names, I would be putting the operation in jeopardy. I agreed not to contact them until the conclusion of the case.

I later wrote the story, but kept it in a file until I could break the news about their involvement. When I did contact Barbera his tone and demeanor had changed. He was now angry that I was writing a story about him and he said it was false. He said he was not being investigated or cooperating with the FBI. He told me he no longer wanted to give me an exclusive interview and hung up the phone.

Friends of Barbera I spoke with said he was confident, happy and flat out denied the rumors just weeks before it was announced.

“He’s walk around town totally confident,” said one of his close friends.

Then something terrible happened.

A man familiar with the legal case said that the FBI Agents were very professional throughout the investigation, but U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie wanted a Republican trophy before the election. The agent working with Barbera was no longer there and the plea deal was not as sweet as Barbera had been led to believe, he said.

Christie has been cleaning up rampant corruption around the state, but most of his collars were Democrats. Barbera may have been more to Christie than just an alleged criminal my source opined. He might be a trophy Christie could use in a future election for Governor of New Jersey. Even those closest to Christie said he coveted the Governor’s office. Christie has pointed out he has collared both Republicans and Democrats throughout the state.

Regardless of Barbera’s use or not to Christie, he was charged with paying bribes to Callaway only weeks before the election. Barbera was still shattered physically from his suicide bid, according to his friends.

Lawyers have speculated that Christie filed the charge for political reasons. They said it is unusual for prosecutors to file charges while the defendant was still in a fractured state.

Barbera survived his self-inflicted gunshot wound, but the worst wound may have come from the knife Callaway stuck in Barbera’s back. He allegedly took a bribe from Barbera in one hand while taping him with the other. Callaway has been racking up enemies throughout the city and beyond New Jersey’s border.

In a December 2006 interview Callaway talked about how everybody was trying to find out if they were taped during conversations with him.

"I didn't go after my friends," said Callaway.