Mercer Times

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, along with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), has announced the sentencing of a campaign manager from Hunterdon County for attempting to fraudulently place a candidate on the Democratic primary ballot in New Jersey's 2021 gubernatorial race.

James Devine, 62, of Lambertville, New Jersey, was sentenced to two years of probation following a plea agreement with OPIA. The sentencing took place on October 18, 2024, in Superior Court, Mercer County by Judge Robert E. Lytle. Devine had pled guilty to a third-degree crime related to nomination certificates or petitions on August 26, 2024.

Attorney General Platkin commented on the case: “Rather than knocking on doors and making a good faith effort to convince voters to support his candidate, the defendant misused voters’ information without authorization, in order to deceive the State into believing his candidate met the bare minimum of requirements to be on the ballot.” He further emphasized that “cheating in a race for elected office is illegal and undemocratic, and there are consequences for it.”

Drew Skinner, Executive Director of OPIA added: “Criminal activity that threatens peoples’ faith in the fairness and legitimacy of our elections is unacceptable.” He noted that this case serves as a warning that election fraud will be detected and punished.

The indictment against Devine followed an investigation by OPIA which led to charges stemming from his attempt in April 2021 to fraudulently secure a spot for his candidate in the June 8, 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary. According to court documents and statements made during proceedings, Devine submitted 1,948 fraudulent nominating petitions to the Division of Elections at New Jersey’s Department of State.

On April 9, 2021, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee legally challenged Devine's actions due to questions regarding petition authenticity. Administrative Law Judge Jeffrey N. Rabin supported this challenge by removing the candidate from the ballot on April 13, 2021.

The investigation revealed individuals listed on these petitions had not authorized or submitted them in support of any candidacy. It was found that Devine uploaded false voter data onto petition forms without voter consent before submitting them for official consideration.

In his guilty plea, Devine admitted awareness that these petitions were falsely prepared at submission time.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Wellbrock managed this case for OPIA’s Corruption Bureau under supervision from Bureau Chief Jeff Manis and Executive Director Skinner. Melissa Karabulut from New Jersey's Office of Public Defender served as defense counsel for Devine.