A former Democratic mayoral candidate in Plainfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to third-degree forgery after admitting he falsified nearly 1,000 voter registration applications ahead of the 2021 Democratic primary.

Henrilynn Ibezim, 71, entered the plea on Thursday in Union County Superior Court as part of a deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop seven other charges and recommend probation instead of jail time. Sentencing is scheduled for June 18 before Judge Candido Rodriguez Jr.

Investigators discovered the scheme in the days before the June 8, 2021, primary when Ibezim arrived at an Elizabeth post office carrying a garbage bag filled with the fraudulent forms, which he intended to mail to the Union County Commissioner of Registration. The applications contained personal information of real individuals obtained without their consent and were completed primarily by just three or four people, in violation of state law requiring disclosure if someone other than the voter fills out the form.

According to the state Attorney General's Office, Ibezim directed associates and volunteers at his home to fill out blank voter registration forms using details he provided. He later lied to detectives about the forms' origins, claiming he had paid two individuals to collect them legitimately, and instructed a witness not to "admit anything" during a law enforcement interview.

Ibezim ran as the Unity Party candidate in the primary but challenged incumbent Mayor Adrian O. Mapp. He received just 103 votes, finishing fourth with about 2% of the tally, while Mapp won reelection that November.

A Union County grand jury indicted Ibezim in August 2024 on eight counts, including second-degree election fraud, second-degree trafficking in personal identifying information, tampering with public records, falsifying records, and third-degree witness tampering. The plea resolved all but the forgery charge.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport emphasized the importance of election integrity in announcing the plea. "My office is determined to ensure elections are fair and that their outcomes are determined by the will of the voters," she said. "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."

The case underscores ongoing scrutiny of voter registration practices in New Jersey amid broader national debates over election security. Prosecutors noted that the falsified forms could have been used to request ballots, potentially influencing the primary outcome despite Ibezim's poor showing.

Ibezim's guilty plea comes after other recent election-related cases in the state, including a dismissed voter fraud indictment against Paterson Councilman Alex Mendez after years of litigation. Authorities continue to investigate similar allegations to safeguard the integrity of future elections.