Former Lumberton Township Mayor Gina LaPlaca and her husband, Jason Carty, are facing criminal charges after prosecutors alleged that false signatures were used on a petition connected to the June 2026 Democratic primary, as reported by Fox News.

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges Tuesday, Aug. 11, involving the petition LaPlaca submitted in an effort to seek another term on the Lumberton Township Committee.

LaPlaca, 47, faces charges of making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records.

Carty, 49, was charged with knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records.

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According to prosecutors, Carty submitted the petition to the Lumberton Township Municipal Clerk for the primary election.

The paperwork included an affidavit signed by LaPlaca stating that she "personally circulated the petition [and] that such petition was signed by each of the signers thereof in his/her own handwriting."

An investigation by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently raised questions about multiple signatures appearing on the petition.

"An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office revealed that multiple individuals whose names and purported signatures appeared on LaPlaca's nominating petition indicated they had neither signed the petition nor authorized anyone to do so on their behalf in support of the candidate's nomination," prosecutors said.

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Authorities said LaPlaca and Carty had collected signatures for the petition.

Prosecutors further alleged that without the signatures investigators determined were fraudulent, LaPlaca would not have had enough valid signatures to qualify for the June 2026 Democratic primary for Lumberton Township Committee.

The case adds another legal issue for LaPlaca, who served as Lumberton's mayor from 2021 through 2025.

Although she left the mayor's office, she remained on the township committee. Her current term is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026.

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LaPlaca sought another term during the June Democratic primary but finished third in a contest for two available seats. Mayor Terrance Benson and his running mate, Kendra Hatfield, finished ahead of her.

LaPlaca and Carty are scheduled to appear in court Sept. 21 in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

The election-related charges follow an earlier criminal case involving LaPlaca. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to DUI and child abuse charges stemming from a March 2025 incident involving her child.

According to prosecutors, LaPlaca was intoxicated when she picked up her child from daycare. Witness video reportedly showed her vehicle leaving its lane and nearly striking a utility pole while the child was inside.

Police said LaPlaca's blood alcohol concentration was 0.30%, more than three times New Jersey's legal limit of 0.08%.

LaPlaca received three years of supervision through a pretrial intervention program. The conditions included mandatory attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

The latest case centers on the validity of the signatures used to qualify LaPlaca for the Democratic primary ballot. Prosecutors have not alleged that the entire election was invalid, but they said the questioned signatures were significant enough that the petition would not otherwise have met the required threshold.

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The charges against LaPlaca and Carty are allegations, and they are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.

The proceedings are scheduled to continue in Burlington County, with the couple's Sept. 21 court appearance expected to address the allegations involving the nominating petition and related records.

For LaPlaca, the allegations arrive after a turbulent period that has included her departure from the mayor's office, an unsuccessful bid for another township committee term and the earlier DUI case. The new prosecution now places the validity of a local Democratic primary petition at the center of another legal proceeding.

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