Mercer Times

TRENTON — Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced that a campaign manager from Hunterdon County pleaded guilty to attempting to fraudulently place a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot in the New Jersey governor’s race in 2021.

James J. Devine, 62, of Lambertville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to an offense concerning nomination certificates or petitions (3rd degree) during a hearing on August 26, 2024, before Judge Robert E. Lytle in New Jersey Superior Court in Mercer County.

Under a plea agreement with OPIA subject to court approval, the prosecution will recommend that Devine serve two years of probation. Sentencing is scheduled for October 18, 2024.

“For the public to have faith in our elections, it’s critical for law enforcement to ensure that efforts to tamper with them are investigated and prosecuted,” said Attorney General Platkin. “This defendant’s plea is a testament to my office’s commitment to fair elections and to holding bad actors accountable when they attempt to taint our democratic system.”

“The defendant in this case has now admitted to fraudulently trying to get a candidate on the primary ballot for governor,” said Drew Skinner, Executive Director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. “Anyone who might try to cheat our democratic system should know: we will hold you accountable.”

Following an OPIA investigation, a state grand jury in Trenton returned an indictment on March 12, 2024 charging Devine with various offenses related to an April 2021 attempt to get a candidate on the ballot in the Democratic primary for governor on June 8, 2021.

According to publicly filed documents and statements in open court, the investigation revealed that Devine submitted approximately 1,948 fraudulent nominating petitions to the New Jersey Department of State’s Division of Elections in an attempt to enable his candidate's participation in the primary.

The New Jersey Democratic State Committee formally challenged Devine’s effort on April 9, 2021, citing issues with petition authenticity. Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey N. Rabin sided with the committee and struck the candidate from the ballot on April 13, 2021.

Individuals whose names appeared on petitions submitted by Devine provided information indicating they did not submit or authorize petitions supporting the candidate's nomination. The investigation revealed Devine had uploaded false voter information onto petition forms and submitted them without those voters’ approval.

In pleading guilty, Devine acknowledged he knew the petitions were falsely made when he filed them.

The case was handled for OPIA Corruption Bureau by Deputy Attorney General Max Lesser and Bureau Deputy Chief Andrew Wellbrock under Bureau Chief Jeff Manis' supervision along with OPIA Executive Director Skinner.

Defense counsel:

Melissa Karabulut of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender

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