A former small-town mayor in New Jersey and her husband now face criminal charges for allegedly submitting fraudulent signatures on a primary election petition, a case that surfaced after the ex-mayor had already pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.
Gina LaPlaca, who served as mayor of Roseland Borough in Essex County, and her husband, Marc LaPlaca, were each charged with third-degree crimes related to the petition signatures. The charges stem from petitions filed for the June 2024 Republican primary election, Fox News reported.
The Essex County Superintendent of Elections referred the matter to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office after identifying irregularities in the petition signatures. Prosecutors allege that multiple signatures on the nominating petitions were forged.
Gina LaPlaca was charged with uttering a forged document and filing a fraudulent petition. Marc LaPlaca was charged with forgery and uttering a forged document. Under New Jersey law, third-degree crimes carry a potential sentence of three to five years in state prison.
The charges center on petitions that candidates must file to appear on a primary ballot. These documents require valid signatures from registered voters in the relevant jurisdiction. Prosecutors allege the LaPlacas submitted petitions containing signatures that were not authentic.
Before the petition fraud charges came to light, Gina LaPlaca had already pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. The DUI case preceded her attempt to run in the 2024 Republican primary.
The timeline raises questions about the sequence of events: LaPlaca allegedly sought a spot on the primary ballot after her DUI guilty plea. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the DUI case played any role in the decision to scrutinize her petition filings, or whether the two matters surfaced independently.
Election petition fraud cases in New Jersey are handled with particular seriousness because the petition process serves as a gatekeeper for ballot access. Forged signatures undermine the basic mechanism voters use to place candidates before the electorate.
Both Gina and Marc LaPlaca face third-degree charges. If convicted, each could face prison time, fines, and a criminal record that would bar future officeholding. Prosecutors have not indicated whether additional charges are under consideration or whether other individuals may have been involved in the alleged scheme.
Investigators will need to determine how many signatures on the petitions were allegedly forged, whether any of the listed signers were real voters whose names were used without consent, and who physically wrote the disputed signatures. No public results from handwriting analysis or other forensic examination have been released.
Roseland Borough is a community of roughly 6,000 residents in Essex County. The borough operates under a mayor-council form of government, and its local elections typically draw limited outside attention.
This case has changed that. The allegation that a sitting or former mayor would submit forged petition signatures to gain ballot access strikes at the integrity of even the smallest local elections. Conservative legal observers have long argued that election fraud enforcement must extend to every level of government, not just high-profile federal or statewide races.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has not released a detailed public statement beyond confirming the charges. Attorneys for Gina and Marc LaPlaca have not been publicly identified in available reporting, and no public comment from the couple has been reported.
Both defendants will face proceedings in Essex County Superior Court. The third-degree classification means the cases will be handled as indictable offenses, New Jersey's equivalent of felonies, rather than as municipal court matters.
Prosecutors will need to present evidence that the signatures were in fact forged and that the LaPlacas knowingly submitted them. The distinction matters: filing a petition with invalid signatures could be an administrative error, but knowingly submitting forged signatures is a crime. The charges as filed indicate prosecutors believe they can prove intent.
The case also raises procedural questions about how New Jersey election officials verify petition signatures before candidates are placed on the ballot. The Essex County Superintendent of Elections caught the irregularities in this instance, but investigators have not said how many other petitions undergo similar scrutiny or whether the current verification process is routine or complaint-driven.
When the people trusted to run elections are the ones allegedly rigging the paperwork, the system's credibility depends entirely on whether prosecutors follow through.
