Former New Jersey Mayor Faces New Legal Troubles

A former New Jersey mayor, Gina LaPlaca, and her husband, Jason Carty, face charges related to alleged false signatures on a nominating petition for a Democratic primary race. LaPlaca, who previously pleaded guilty in a DUI case involving her child, is charged with making a false statement under oath, knowingly filing a false petition, tampering with public records, and falsifying records, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.

Carty faces similar charges of knowingly filing a false petition and tampering with public records. An affidavit submitted by Carty for the primary election included LaPlaca’s signature, affirming she personally circulated the petition and that all listed signers wrote their signatures.

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.

Prosecutors concluded without these signatures, the petition lacked enough valid signatures for LaPlaca’s candidacy in the June 2026 Democratic primary for the Lumberton Township Committee. An investigation suggested LaPlaca and Carty collected these signatures, yet some signers denied participating or authorizing signatures on their behalf.

LaPlaca and Carty have a court date on Sept. 21 in Mount Holly, New Jersey. LaPlaca, who served as Lumberton’s mayor from 2021 to 2025, retained her committee seat after her mayoral term ended. In the recent primary, she sought re-election but placed third, trailing behind Mayor Terrance Benson and Kendra Hatfield.

These developments follow LaPlaca’s guilty plea in a DUI case earlier this year involving her child. In March 2025, she was arrested for driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level of 0.30%, significantly above the 0.08% legal limit. Witnesses recorded her swerving and nearly hitting a utility pole with her child in the car.

LaPlaca received a sentence of three years of supervision under a pretrial intervention program, which includes mandatory attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.