Ex-mayor candidate admits forging nearly 1,000 voter forms in NJ Democratic primary

🗳️ Failed Plainfield mayor candidate admits forging hundreds of voter registration forms before 2021 primary.

📬 Investigators say he was caught carrying nearly 1,000 fake applications at an Elizabeth post office.

⚖️ Prosecutors plan to seek probation, not prison, at June sentencing.

PLAINFIELD — A failed candidate for mayor has admitted to forging hundreds of voter registration applications in the days leading up to a major election.

Henrilynn Ibezim, 71, pleaded guilty to third-degree forgery in Superior Court in Union County earlier this week. But he likely faces no time behind bars, according to the Attorney General's Office.

State prosecutors said that Ibezim ran for Plainfield mayor in the June 8, 2021 Democratic primary. Despite his best efforts, Ibezim finished fourth with just over 2% of the vote, or 103 ballots. Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp won the primary and went on to win re-election that November.

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Investigators said that in the days leading up to the primary, Ibezim was caught with a garbage bag at an Elizabeth post office. The bag contained nearly 1,000 fraudulent voter registration applications, which shared noticeably similar handwriting. Officials said he was trying to mail the applications to get ballots so he could inflate his chances in the election.

Several other charges against Ibezim were dropped as part of his plea agreement. The OAG says state prosecutors will ask only for probation with no prison time at his June 18 sentencing.

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“It is crucial to our system of government that those who engage in illegal and bad faith conduct during elections be held accountable. Failing to do so opens the door to a loss of public confidence in the democratic process," said Attorney General Jennifer Davenport.

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