Mercer Times

TRENTON — A political campaign manager from Hunterdon County, James J. Devine, has been indicted by a state grand jury in Trenton for alleged election offenses related to the 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial primary. The indictment includes three counts against Devine, as announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.

According to Attorney General Platkin, "Our democracy is reliant on fair elections in which voters can have full confidence." The charges against Devine stem from his alleged attempt to fraudulently place a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot in the 2021 race for New Jersey governor.

The investigation revealed that Devine sent fraudulent voter certifications to the New Jersey Secretary of State’s Division of Elections in an effort to enable the candidate to compete in the primary. However, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee filed a challenge citing irregularities in the voter certifications provided by Devine, leading to the removal of the candidate from the ballot.

Thomas J. Eicher, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, emphasized that "We will not tolerate any situation in which a candidate or a would-be candidate secures an unfair advantage in a political race through misconduct, deceit, and corruption." Devine is facing charges including offenses concerning nomination certificates or petitions, tampering with public records, and falsifying records.

Defense counsel Melissa Karabulut, of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, will represent Devine in the case. It is important to note that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, as highlighted by the announcement.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Max Lesser and Corruption Bureau Deputy Chief Andrew Wellbrock, under the supervision of OPIA Deputy Director Anthony Picione and OPIA Executive Director Eicher. If convicted, Devine could face significant penalties, including prison time and fines, for the alleged election offenses.