A Philadelphia campaign manager who paid people to forge signatures on Chester County nominating petitions will serve three years of probation and pay a $1,000 fine after pleading guilty to election fraud charges.

Chester County Court of Common Pleas Judge Sarah Black sentenced Mariel Kornblith-Martin, 41, on Tuesday, July 7, after she pleaded guilty to solicitation to unsworn falsifications and filing a false nominating petition. The Chester County District Attorney's office announced the sentencing in its weekly update on Wednesday.

Kornblith-Martin served as the Democratic campaign manager for Mark Pinsley, the Lehigh County controller who ran for Pennsylvania auditor general in 2024. As part of that race, Pinsley needed voter signatures from multiple counties, including Chester County.

The case cracked open in February 2024 when a Chester County Court of Common Pleas judge noticed her own signature on one of Pinsley's nominating petitions and reported it to the DA's office.

She had not signed it. The judge told investigators that Pennsylvania judges hold nonpartisan positions and cannot sign nominating petitions.

That tip launched a broader investigation by Chester County Detectives. Investigators found multiple forged signatures on Pinsley's petitions and identified three circulators who had signed fraudulent forms, the Daily Local reported.

Detectives determined Kornblith-Martin directed the circulators and paid them to sign pre-filled nominating petitions. The DA's office noted in its February 2026 charging announcement that Kornblith-Martin had over a decade of campaign experience and knew that petitions must be signed by the person who actually collected the signatures.

The case was prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe and investigated by Chester County Detectives led by Chief David Sassa. Kornblith-Martin's sentence is final, with no further court dates listed in public records.