Full Breakdown
Former New Jersey Mayor and Husband Charged with Election Petition Fraud
8/13/2026, 1:01:56 AM
Core Event: Alleged Falsification of Primary Petition Signatures
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced that former Lumberton Township mayor Gina LaPlaca, 47, and her husband Jason Carty, 49, have been charged with multiple offenses related to LaPlaca’s nominating petition for the June Democratic primary. The charges include making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records. Carty faces the same counts except for the false-statement charge. Prosecutors allege that the petition contained signatures from individuals who never signed it and that LaPlaca’s affidavit falsely claimed she “personally circulated the petition” and that each signature was in the signatory’s own handwriting.
Background & Context: Prior Legal Troubles and Election Requirements
LaPlaca served as Lumberton’s mayor from 2021 to 2025 and remains a member of the township committee, with her term set to expire at the end of the current year. In March 2025 she pleaded guilty to a DUI and child-endangerment charge after police observed her vehicle swerving while her child was in the car; her blood-alcohol concentration was recorded at 0.30%, more than three times New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08%. She entered a three-year pre-trial intervention program that required supervision and attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Carty was previously charged in May with aggravated assault by strangulation and harassment following a domestic incident; LaPlaca later recanted her allegation and those charges were dismissed.
New Jersey election law requires a candidate to collect a minimum number of valid signatures to appear on a primary ballot. Prosecutors say that without the disputed signatures LaPlaca would not have met that threshold and therefore would not have qualified for the June primary.
Timeline
- March 2025 – LaPlaca’s DUI and child-endangerment case leads to a guilty plea and entry into a diversion program.
- June 2 – LaPlaca loses the Democratic primary for the Lumberton Township Committee by a three-to-one margin, finishing third in a three-candidate race for two seats.
- August – Prosecutors file the election-fraud charges against LaPlaca and Carty.
- September – The couple’s first appearance on the new charges is scheduled in Superior Court in Mount Holly.
Data & Statistics
- The primary result was a 3-to-1 loss for LaPlaca, indicating she received roughly one-third of the votes cast for the two winning candidates.
- Multiple individuals whose names appeared on the petition reported that they never signed it, leading investigators to conclude that the petition would have fallen short of the required signature count without the alleged fraudulent entries.
Official Statements & Responses
The office added that LaPlaca’s affidavit asserted she “personally circulated the petition” and that each signature was authentic, a claim investigators found to be false.
LaPlaca and Carty have not provided comment to reporters regarding the new charges.
What’s Next: Upcoming Court Proceedings
The first court appearance for the election-fraud case is set for September in Superior Court in Mount Holly. The outcome of that hearing will determine whether the charges proceed to trial and what potential penalties may be imposed if convictions are secured.
