SOMERVILLE, N.J. — A New York woman allegedly forged a New Jersey prosecutor’s signature after an employer’s background check turned up three criminal convictions.

Lydia Thornton, a 48-year-old Hyde Park resident, was charged with forgery and uttering a forged document in an indictment handed up Thursday by a Somerset County grand jury.

Prosecutors say Thornton signed county Prosecutor Wayne Forrest’s name on counterfeit letterhead that said the convictions were the result of identity theft. She had been hired earlier this year by Motel 6 as general manager in East Brunswick.

The company sent the letter to the prosecutor’s office in July for verification, and investigators soon found several irregularities and determined it was a fake.