A Lumberton Township committeewoman and her husband are facing felony-level charges after Burlington County prosecutors accused them of forging signatures on a nominating petition to get her onto the June 2026 Democratic primary ballot. Gina LaPlaca, 47, and Jason Carty, 49, were charged in connection with the scheme, with investigators alleging that without the fraudulent signatures, LaPlaca's petition would not have met the legal threshold required to qualify for the race.
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, Carty submitted the nominating petition to the Lumberton Township municipal clerk, and it included an affidavit signed by LaPlaca in which she swore she had personally circulated the petition and that each signer had written their own name. Prosecutors allege that was false. Multiple people whose names and signatures appeared on the petition told investigators they did not sign it and did not authorize anyone else to sign on their behalf, per the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, as detailed by NBC10 Philadelphia.
LaPlaca was charged with knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records or information, making a false statement under oath, and falsifying or tampering with records, according to Moorestown Patch. That outlet reports LaPlaca faces third-degree counts of knowingly filing a false petition and tampering with public records, along with fourth-degree charges of making a false statement under oath and falsifying records. Carty was charged with the same categories of offenses: third-degree knowingly filing a false petition, two third-degree counts of record tampering, and fourth-degree record falsification, the outlet reports.
What a Conviction Could Mean
New Jersey categorizes indictable crimes by degree rather than using traditional felony labels, but the exposure is real. A third-degree conviction carries a potential sentence of three to five years in state prison and fines up to $15,000, while a fourth-degree conviction carries up to 18 months in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to legal guidance published by Justia. Both LaPlaca and Carty are scheduled to appear in Superior Court on September 21, 2026.
LaPlaca has served on the Lumberton Township Committee since her 2020 election and won re-election in 2023, later serving as the township's mayor through December of 2025 before stepping down from that post while remaining on the committee, according to Front Runner New Jersey. Lumberton is a Burlington County municipality of roughly 12,800 residents located about 25 miles east of Philadelphia, per Wikipedia, and operates under a five-member township committee.
A Rocky 18 Months for the Couple
The ballot fraud charges follow a turbulent stretch for LaPlaca and Carty in Burlington County political circles. In March 2025, LaPlaca was arrested for driving under the influence with her 2-year-old son in the car, just one week after she had resigned from her post as business administrator for Neptune Township, according to the Hindustan Times. Her blood-alcohol concentration measured 0.30% at the time of that arrest.
The Lumberton Township Committee formally censured LaPlaca in April 2025 as residents repeatedly called for her resignation during public meetings, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia. In March 2026, LaPlaca pleaded guilty to DUI and fourth-degree child abuse, receiving three years of supervision under New Jersey's Pretrial Intervention program, as CBS News reported. Hoodline previously covered her guilty plea and sentencing.
Carty's Own Legal and Job Troubles
Carty has faced separate controversies of his own. In May 2026, days before the Democratic primary election, police responded to a disturbance at the couple's home, resulting in Carty being charged with second-degree aggravated assault by strangulation of a domestic violence victim and harassment, according to New Jersey 101.5. That outlet also notes Carty has held multiple civic roles in Burlington County beyond his political work, including a seat on the Rancocas Valley Regional High School Board of Education and more than 25 years as a career firefighter.
An independent legal investigation by the law firm Parker McKay recommended terminating Carty from his post as Mount Holly Fire Director over alleged misconduct, but a 1-1 tie vote among non-conflicted fire commissioners left him on paid administrative leave instead, according to the Mount Holly Reporter. Carty had been appointed fire director in September 2025 after previously serving as fire chief and commissioner.
It remains an open question how the pending criminal case will affect LaPlaca's status on the township committee or the conditions of her ongoing Pretrial Intervention program, an issue Moorestown Patch flagged as unresolved ahead of the September court date. Neither LaPlaca nor Carty has entered a plea in the ballot fraud case as of publication.
