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Gina LaPlaca, the former mayor of Lumberton Township in New Jersey, and her husband Jason Carty face multiple felony charges stemming from an investigation into forged signatures on a nominating petition, prosecutors announced Tuesday. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office alleged that the couple submitted a petition containing false signatures to qualify LaPlaca as a candidate for the June 2026 Democratic primary for township committee.
LaPlaca, 47, was charged with making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records. Carty, 49, faces charges of knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records. The petition included an affidavit signed by LaPlaca asserting she personally circulated it and that all signatures were genuine.
Investigators found that multiple individuals whose names appeared on the petition stated they neither signed it nor authorized anyone to sign on their behalf. Without the allegedly fraudulent signatures, prosecutors said, the petition would have lacked sufficient valid signatures to place LaPlaca on the ballot as a candidate.
LaPlaca served as Lumberton’s mayor from 2021 to 2025 and retained her township committee seat, which expires at year’s end. She ran for re-election in the June primary but finished third in the two-seat race behind Mayor Terrance Benson and Kendra Hatfield. A court appearance for both defendants is scheduled for September 21 in Mount Holly.
The new charges follow LaPlaca’s guilty plea earlier this year in a separate DUI case involving her child. Police said she picked up her child from daycare in March 2025 while intoxicated, with her blood alcohol concentration measured at 0.30%—nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08%. Witness video captured her vehicle swerving dangerously. She was sentenced to three years of supervision including mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous attendance.
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