WEST CHESTER, PA — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office this week announced developments in several significant criminal cases involving alleged election fraud, consumer deception, and misconduct inside the county prison, according to a weekly prosecutorial update.
In one case, Chester County Detectives charged Mariel Kornblith-Martin, 40, of Philadelphia, on February 2, 2026, with solicitation to unsworn falsification to authorities, solicitation to false swearing, filing false nomination petitions, and related offenses tied to alleged fraud in nominating petitions for a Pennsylvania Auditor General campaign.
Prosecutors allege the case stems from Pennsylvania’s election requirements, which mandate that candidates for statewide office obtain voter signatures on nominating petitions that must be signed by the individual who personally collected those signatures. According to the criminal complaint, in February 2024, a judge from the Chester County Court of Common Pleas reported that her signature had been forged on a nominating petition submitted on behalf of Auditor General candidate Mark Pinsley. Judges are prohibited from signing nominating petitions in Pennsylvania due to their non-partisan status.
Investigators allege multiple forged signatures were later identified across the candidate’s nominating petitions. Authorities said three circulators signed petitions that contained forgeries, and investigators further allege Kornblith-Martin directed and paid those circulators to sign pre-filled petitions. Prosecutors contend that, as a campaign manager with more than a decade of experience, Kornblith-Martin knew nominating petitions must be signed only by the person who actually gathered the signatures. All charges in the case are allegations, and Kornblith-Martin is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
In a separate consumer fraud case, Matthew Kaplan, 37, of Rydal, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on January 29, 2026, to six to 23 months in jail after previously pleading guilty to deceptive business practices and related charges. Prosecutors said Kaplan, the owner of M. Kaplan Interiors, accepted payments from dozens of customers for furniture that was never delivered.
As part of the sentence, Kaplan was ordered to pay $530,203.92 in restitution, with court records indicating that $120,000 had been repaid as of the sentencing date.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said the case reflected a breach of trust placed in a local business, stating, “The victims chose to buy from the Defendant because they wanted to support a local business. Instead of rewarding them with an excellent product, the Defendant took money from the victims knowing his business would never be able to deliver on the furniture that they ordered.”
The weekly update also included a conviction related to conduct inside the Chester County Prison. On January 30, 2026, a jury convicted Christine Henson, 39, of West Chester, of aggravated harassment by a prisoner following a two-day trial before the Honorable Sarah B. Black. Prosecutors said Henson failed to comply with correctional officers during the intake process and spit on at least one officer. Sentencing has been scheduled for a later date.
Addressing the case, de Barrena-Sarobe emphasized the seriousness of the offense, saying, “Corrections officers have an incredibly difficult job. Not only did the Defendant’s actions make that job more challenging, but spitting on a corrections officer is a crime. This office will not tolerate that conduct and will make sure that defendants like Christine Henson are held accountable.”
Except where a defendant has entered a guilty plea or been convicted by a jury, all charges described remain allegations. As with all criminal proceedings, any suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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