Paul Callan is a CNN legal analyst, a former New York homicide prosecutor and of counsel to the New York law firm of Edelman & Edelman PC, focusing on wrongful conviction and civil rights cases. Follow him on Twitter @paulcallan. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.

(CNN) In a dramatic predawn raid, FBI agents placed Roger Stone, the Republican king of darkness under arrest at his Florida home on charges related to the Robert Mueller investigation. The televised raid looked like one designed to apprehend a terrorist rather than the pajama-clad 66-year-old Trump campaign advisor renowned for his "dirty tricks" approach to presidential campaigns and the large Richard Nixon tattoo adorning his back. The aggressive raid suggests that it might be time to trade in the Nixon tattoo for a bullseye, especially given the ferocity of the arrest tactics employed by Mueller's FBI agents.

Paul Callan

The approach to this arrest makes clear that Roger Stone and possibly his attorneys have done something provocative enough to make the usually low profile and careful special prosecutor extraordinarily angry. Stone was not afforded the customary voluntary surrender option usually seen in white collar criminal cases. Most likely, the raid was intended to send a clear message to other witnesses and potential defendants that witness tampering, a federal felony with a sentence of up to 20 years if it involves physical intimidation, will not be tolerated by the polite but tough former FBI director. The other five counts in the indictment each carry hefty potential sentences of as much as five years each, subjecting Stone to a maximum exposure of 45 years in an ill-fitting federal jumpsuit.

The conduct which likely prompted the use of an FBI arrest team worthy of a Navy SEAL operation can be found in an incredibly stupid and highly incriminating series of messages allegedly sent to the indictment's "Person 2" (reported to be comedian and radio personality Randy Credico ) seeking to influence and shape "Person 2's" congressional testimony.

Several pages of the indictment meticulously document Stone's alleged attempt to steer "Person 2's" congressional testimony in language worthy of a Hollywood movie. In fact, Stone actually steals a line from Godfather II to use on "Person 2." Stone refers to a character named "Frank Pentangeli," who -- despite being a Corleone family confederate -- professes innocence before a congressional committee and later kills himself. According to the indictment, Stone allegedly explicitly told "Person 2" to do a "Frank Pentangeli."

Read More