Gina LaPlaca, former mayor of Lumberton Township, and her husband Jason Carty have been charged after prosecutors say multiple unauthorized signatures appeared on LaPlaca's nominating petition for the June 2026 Democratic primary. Investigators say some individuals listed on the petition told officials they did not sign or authorize signatures, and without those names the petition would not have qualified. The charges follow LaPlaca's earlier guilty plea in a March 2025 DUI case in which her child was reportedly in the car and her blood alcohol content tested at 0.30%. Both defendants are due in court on Sept. 21 in Mount Holly, New Jersey.
Ex-Lumberton Mayor and Husband Charged Over Alleged Fake Petition Signatures After DUI Guilty Plea
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Gina LaPlaca, the former mayor of Lumberton Township, and her husband, Jason Carty, have been criminally charged after prosecutors say false signatures appeared on LaPlaca's nominating petition for the June 2026 Democratic primary.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced that LaPlaca, 47, faces counts including 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 and with tampering with and falsifying public records.
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.
According to court documents, Carty submitted the petition to the Lumberton Township municipal clerk with an affidavit signed by LaPlaca attesting that she "personally circulated the petition" and that each signer had provided their own handwriting. An investigation found that several names and purported signatures on the petition belonged to individuals who told investigators they had neither signed the petition nor authorized anyone to sign on their behalf.
"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," the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.
Prosecutors say that without the allegedly fraudulent signatures, LaPlaca's petition would not have met the required threshold of valid signatures to qualify her as a candidate for the June 2026 Democratic primary for the Lumberton Township Committee. LaPlaca and Carty are scheduled to appear in Mount Holly on Sept. 21.
Gina LaPlaca pleaded guilty earlier this year to DUI and child abuse charges.
Background: Earlier DUI Case
The new charges follow LaPlaca's guilty plea earlier this year in a DUI case in which her child was reportedly in the vehicle. Authorities say the March 2025 incident involved video showing LaPlaca's car swerving and nearly striking a utility pole after she picked the child up from daycare. Tests reportedly found her blood alcohol concentration to be 0.30%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%.
LaPlaca was sentenced in that matter to three years of supervision under a pretrial intervention program, which includes mandatory attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and other conditions. She served as Lumberton's mayor from 2021 to 2025 and remains a member of the township committee; her current term is set to expire at the end of the year. In the June Democratic primary for two committee seats she ran for re-election but finished third behind Mayor Terrance Benson and his running mate Kendra Hatfield.
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