ATLANTIC CITY — Controversial city political figure Ronald Callaway died early Saturday in a Trenton hospital.
Department of Corrections spokesman Matt Schuman said Callaway, who would have turned 56 later this month, died at 1:39 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. The cause of death was not released.
Callaway, also known as Jihad Q. Abdullah, had been serving a prison sentence at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, Schuman said.
In 2009, Callaway was convicted — along with his brother David Callaway and Floyd Tally — for his involvement in secret videotaping of former Atlantic City Councilman Eugene Robinson involved in a sex act with a prostitute. Callaway was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison for his part in the blackmail scheme and was not eligible for parole until at least next year.
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When reached by telephone on Saturday night, David Callaway — who served less than a year of a four-year sentence of his own before being paroled — said he had “no comment at this time” on his brother’s death.
Ronald Callaway was a key figure in the once politically powerful Callaway Organization, which was headed by his brother Craig and known for “street politics.”
Different allegations of assault, voter fraud and intimidation followed Ronald Callaway throughout his political career, which consisted mostly of voter drives, collecting absentee ballots and speaking out at public meetings.
In 2003, Ronald Callaway was sentenced to a year in prison for voter fraud and in 2002, he was involved in a knife fight with a supporter of Mayor Lorenzo Langford following a reorganization meeting of the Atlantic City Democratic committee.
Multiple city officials — including Langford and City Council President William Marsh — were either unable to be reached for comment on Saturday night or declined to comment.
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