Ronald Callaway, Craig Callaway and Floyd Tally Charged in Gene Robinson Sex Tape Extortion - Tally a Fugitive from Justice

By VIRGINIA McCABE
Published April 20, 2007

Former Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway, his brother Ronald Callaway and Floyd Tally, have been charged by the Atlantic County Prosecutor in an alleged extortion attempt against Atlantic City Councilman Eugene Robinson.

The charges are in relation to allegedly arraigning a sexual encounter between Robinson and a prostitute in an attempt to embarrass him politically, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jeffrey S. Blitz stated Friday.

Members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Official Corruption Unit, the Atlantic City Police and the FBI arrested Ronald Callaway Friday morning without incident at his home on North Ohio Avenue in Atlantic City, Blitz stated.

Blitz added the investigation is continuing with regard to other co-conspirators identified throughout the investigation.

A warrant charging Craig Callaway with theft by extortion, conspiracy to commit theft by extortion and invasion of privacy was lodged as a detainer against him at the federal prison in Gilmore, W. Va. Callaway was imprisoned for taking $36,000 in bribes in "Operation Steal Pier."

Ronald Callaway, 51, and Floyd Tally, 37, of Windjammer Court are charged with the same crimes, Blitz stated. Ronald Callaway is lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on a $50,000 cash bond.

Floyd Tally remains a fugitive from justice, according to Blitz.

Blitz stated that extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion are second degree crimes and carry a prison term of from five to 10 years.

The complaint alleges that that in November 2006, the three men and other co-conspirators, "while not privileged or licensed to do so, did film, videotape or record another person who was engaged in an act of sexual penetration or sexual contact, without that person's consent."

The complaint also alleges that the three co-conspirators allegedly attempted to obtain the property of another by extortion in that they purposefully threatened to expose or publicize a secret tending to subject another person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, Blitz said.

Tally is also charged with witness tampering for allegedly urging another co-conspirator to discard evidence and relocate the woman recruited in the plot.

Blitz is alleging that the three men and others recruited a 23-year-old prostitute to lure Robinson into a sexual act at at hotel (Bayview) in Absecon during the month of November 2006. It is also alleged that they instructed the prostitute to where to position herself in the hotel room and to use some ruse to get money from Robinson.

Blitz said Robinson did not pay the prostitute in return for sex.

Blitz stated that the defendants filmed the encounter from an adjoining hotel. It is further alleged that they subsequently told Robinson they intended to release the tape to the media and in fact did release it, Blitz said.

Robinson, along with his attorney, Joseph Levin, came into the Prosecutor's Office the following day to report the crime.

An investigation by Atlantic County Prosecutor's Official Corruption Unit, Captain Harry Leahey, Sgt. Joseph Pepe, Atlantic City Police Investigation Unit Detective Ron DiGiovanni and members of the FBI was undertaken and resulted in the charges against the first three defendants on Friday.