{"id":40979,"date":"2026-08-12T14:23:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40979"},"modified":"2026-08-12T14:23:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:23:57","slug":"former-nj-mayor-faces-fake-election-petition-signature-charges-for-dem-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=40979","title":{"rendered":"Former NJ mayor faces fake election petition signature charges for Dem primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">A former <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2506331\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/northeast\/new-jersey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Jersey<\/a> mayor who previously pleaded guilty in a DUI case involving her child is facing new charges alongside her husband after prosecutors alleged false signatures appeared on her nominating petition for a Democratic primary race.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Gina LaPlaca, the former mayor of Lumberton Township who remains a member of the township committee, was charged with making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records, the Burlington County Prosecutor&#8217;s Office announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaPlaca&#8217;s husband, Jason Carty, was also charged with knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The petition submitted by Carty to the Lumberton Township Municipal Clerk for the primary election included an affidavit signed by LaPlaca saying she &#8220;personally circulated the petition [and] that such petition was signed by each of the signers thereof in his\/her own handwriting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2506332\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/dem-official-pleads-guilty-child-abuse-driving-drunk-triple-legal-limit-enters-diversion-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>DEM OFFICIAL PLEADS GUILTY TO CHILD ABUSE FOR DRIVING DRUNK AT TRIPLE LEGAL LIMIT, ENTERS DIVERSION PROGRAM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/343\/192\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/686\/384\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/672\/378\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1344\/756\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/931\/523\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1862\/1046\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/720\/405\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1440\/810\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1200\/675\/gina-laplaca-booking-photo.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Booking photo of Lumberton Township Committeewoman Gina LaPlaca\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Gina LaPlaca is facing charges along with her husband for allegedly using fake signatures to put her name on the Democratic primary ballot in a recent committee race.<\/span> <span>(Burlington County Prosecutor&#8217;s Office via Facebook)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">An investigation found that LaPlaca, 47, and Carty, 49, had collected signatures for the petition, prosecutors said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;An investigation by the Prosecutor\u2019s Office revealed that multiple individuals whose names and purported signatures appeared on LaPlaca&#8217;s nominating petition indicated they had neither signed the petition nor authorized anyone to do so on their behalf in support of the candidate&#8217;s nomination,&#8221; the Burlington County Prosecutor&#8217;s Office said.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Prosecutors said that without the allegedly <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2506333\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/corruption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fraudulent signatures<\/a>, LaPlaca&#8217;s petition would not have contained enough valid signatures to qualify her as a candidate for the June 2026 Democratic primary for Lumberton Township Committee.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2506334\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/virginia-school-safety-director-charged-dui-winter-storm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>VIRGINIA SCHOOL SAFETY DIRECTOR CHARGED WITH DUI AFTER WINTER STORM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/343\/192\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/686\/384\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/672\/378\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1344\/756\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/931\/523\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1862\/1046\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/720\/405\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1440\/810\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1200\/675\/laplaca-car-accident.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"laplaca-car-accident\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Gina LaPlaca was charged with making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records and falsifying or tampering with records.<\/span> <span>(Lumberton Township Police Department)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaPlaca and Carty have a court appearance scheduled on Sept. 21 in Mount Holly, New Jersey.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaPlaca served as Lumberton&#8217;s mayor from 2021 to 2025. Although she left the mayor&#8217;s post, she retained her seat on the township committee, with her current term set to expire at the end of this year.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">She sought re-election to the committee in the June Democratic primary but finished third in the contest for two open seats, behind Mayor Terrance Benson and his running mate, Kendra Hatfield.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The new allegations come after LaPlaca pleaded guilty earlier this year in a DUI case stemming from an incident in which her child was in the vehicle.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/343\/192\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/686\/384\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/672\/378\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1344\/756\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/931\/523\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1862\/1046\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/720\/405\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1440\/810\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1200\/675\/laplaca-arrest.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Democrat Mayor arrested for DUI\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Gina LaPlaca pleaded guilty earlier this year to DUI and child abuse charges.<\/span> <span>(Lumberton Township Police Department)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Prosecutors said LaPlaca was intoxicated when she picked up her child from daycare in March 2025. Witness video showed her vehicle swerving out of its lane and nearly striking a utility pole while the child was inside.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Police said her blood alcohol concentration was 0.30%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">LaPlaca was sentenced to three years of supervision under a pretrial intervention program, including mandatory attendance at <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2506336\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/mental-health\/addiction#&amp;_intcmp=fnc_us_article_main-content_article-body_6_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alcoholics Anonymous meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A former New Jersey mayor who previously pleaded guilty in a DUI case involving her child is facing new charges alongside her husband after prosecutors alleged false signatures appeared on her nominating petition for a Democratic primary race. Gina LaPlaca, the former mayor of Lumberton Township who&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/laplaca-thumb.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}