US Attorney Sends Letters Out to Those
Taped in 'Operation Steal Pier'

By VIRGINIA McCABE
Published Sept. 6, 2007

How would you like to open your mail and find a letter informing you that you had been audio taped by Craig Callaway or one of the men who are spending time in jail due to their convictions in "Operation Steal Pier?"

That is exactly what has been happening to people in and around Atlantic City.

Last month U.S. Attorney General in New Jersey, Christopher Christi began sending out notifications to people who had been taped, but are not in trouble.

The "who's who" of the local glitteratti caught on FBI body wire taps covers people in politics, entertainment and business. Even a few lawyers  and a senator were caught on tape. While they admit privately that they received a letter, not one person would go on the record about their encounter.

One political operative who wants to remain anonymous received a letter via certified mail and she said she knew what the contents were. She refused to sign for the letter and never retrieved it from the post office.

"It came from the Attorney General and it could only be disappointing news," she said. "I never picked my letter up, I heard they were out."

A high-profile-politician received a letter and recalled the exact conversation that was caught on tape.

"I don't know why he taped me, all we talked about was politics and Atlantic City."

When the news broke in August 2006 that Callaway and "DeNick," among others, had been taping people people in the city, a small but quiet panic began to grow. For the last year, people have been paranoid if they had any encounter, no matter how innocent, they had with the criminals.

Callaway who is serving a three-year-sentence in federal prison, in solitary confinement due to threats against his life for being a "snitch," famously tried to comfort his friends at the time.

"I only taped the bad guys, I only went after them, not my friends."