An investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s public corruption section has resulted in charges against a Pine woman who the AG says forged at least four signatures on her election paperwork last year.

Kathleen Ravotti, 61, is charged with several misdemeanors, including forgery, perjury and unsworn falsification to authorities.

She filed petitions last March to run in both parties’ primary races for Pine-Richland School Board.

To register for a primary election, candidates must acquire 10 signatures from Democrats or Republicans, by way of a petition circulator, to have their name placed on the ballot.

But Ravotti forged at least four of those signatures, according to a criminal complaint filed against her.

The AG initially charged Kayla Van Blargan — the circulator for Ravotti’s Democratic petition — in October with many of the same crimes, but those were all withdrawn last week.

David Shrager, Van Blargan’s defense attorney, said Van Blargan had always maintained her innocence.

“Our client is very pleased and thankful that the investigation revealed what she’s always maintained — her complete and total innocence,” Shrager said.

To his knowledge, Shrager said Van Blargan is not involved in the case against Ravotti.

According to the criminal complaint, Ravotti approached Van Blargan, an independent, in March to assist with collecting signatures. She signed the petition and accompanied Ravotti to gather two more signatures, but Van Blargan had no further involvement with the process aside from signing on as circulator, the complaint said.

The investigation stems from a complaint filed in March by Elizabeth DeLosa, an attorney who also was running for school board, alleging several signatures were forged. DeLosa later won in the general election and currently sits on the Pine-Richland School Board.

The objection included signed affidavits from four of Ravotti’s neighbors in Pine, claiming they had declined the candidate’s request to sign the petition, but their names were included anyway. Ravotti dropped out of the race soon after the objection was filed.

According to the criminal complaint, the neighbors — and Ravotti herself — also confirmed during interviews with an AG special agent that the signatures were forgeries.

Ravotti’s defense attorney, Casey White, said his client is “cooperating fully” with the AG’s office and is “committed to addressing this matter responsibly and lawfully.”

White noted Ravotti has no prior history of similar conduct.

When asked whether Ravotti planned to ultimately plead guilty to the charges, White declined to comment.

Last year, Pine-Richland School Board was plagued by often long, contentious debates over a library policy pushed by the then-board majority. Many opponents of the policy labeled it a “book ban,” designed to target literature focused on LGBTQ and minority characters.

A slate of Democratic candidates, DeLosa among them, claimed victory in last year’s election and now hold a majority on the board.

Ravotti’s preliminary hearing is set for March 18 before District Judge Richard G. Opiela.