Former New Jersey Mayor Faces New Legal Troubles

A former mayor of Lumberton Township, New Jersey, Gina LaPlaca, is once again in legal hot water. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office has charged LaPlaca, alongside her husband, Jason Carty, for various offenses related to her nominating petition for the Democratic primary race.

Charges and Allegations

The charges against LaPlaca include making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying or tampering with records. Her husband, Carty, faces similar charges minus the false statement under oath.

The trouble began when false signatures reportedly appeared on the nominating petition that LaPlaca submitted for the Democratic primary race. The petition was supposed to have been personally circulated by her, as indicated by her signed affidavit.

Investigation Findings

An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office found that multiple names and signatures on LaPlaca’s petition were not genuine. Individuals named in the petition stated that they neither signed nor allowed anyone to sign on their behalf.

Without these questioned signatures, LaPlaca would not have had enough valid endorsements to qualify for the June 2026 Democratic primary for the Lumberton Township Committee.

Previous Legal Issues

These new charges add to LaPlaca’s recent legal history. Earlier this year, she pleaded guilty in a DUI case involving her child. She was found to have been driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.30%, significantly above the legal limit of 0.08%.

For the DUI incident, she was sentenced to a pretrial intervention program, which includes three years of supervision and mandatory Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Court Proceedings

LaPlaca and her husband have a court appearance scheduled for September 21 at Mount Holly, New Jersey. Despite stepping down as mayor in 2025, LaPlaca continues to serve on the township committee until the end of this year.

In her latest attempt to rejoin the committee, she finished third in the primary, trailing behind Mayor Terrance Benson and his running mate, Kendra Hatfield.