A former Morris County Freeholder has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters, according to an announcement by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
John Cesaro, 53, of Parsippany, New Jersey, entered his plea before New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober in Somerset County on November 17, 2025. Prosecutors allege that Cesaro accepted bribes in exchange for steering public contracts to a law firm.
Under the plea agreement, state prosecutors will seek a five-year prison sentence at Cesaro’s sentencing scheduled for January 16, 2026. The agreement also requires Cesaro to forfeit $7,700 gained from the scheme and pay an additional penalty of approximately $23,000 for public corruption profiteering. Cesaro will be permanently barred from holding public office or employment and is prohibited from doing business with the State or its subdivisions for five years.
Attorney General Platkin stated: “The public’s faith in government is shaken when elected officials trade favors or preferential treatment for illicit payments. Government service is about serving the public, not about getting unlawful perks.”
Eric L. Gibson, Executive Director of OPIA, added: “This guilty plea shows that public servants who abuse their positions to enrich themselves at the expense of New Jersey residents will face justice.”
According to court documents, Cesaro was accused of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from a cooperating witness who was a tax attorney. In return, Cesaro promised to use his influence on what was then called the County Freeholder Board—now known as the Board of County Commissioners—to help hire or retain the law firm for government legal work.
During his plea hearing under oath, Cesaro admitted that between April and May 2018 in Randolph, Mountain Lakes, and Morristown he agreed to accept $7,700 in cash as consideration for using his official position with the county to provide contracts or work to the cooperating witness.
Assistant Attorneys General Michael Grillo and Andrew Wellbrock of OPIA prosecuted the case along with Deputy Attorney General Adam Gerken under Bureau Director Jeffrey J. Manis and OPIA Executive Director Gibson.
Cesaro was represented by defense counsel Robert Dunn of Morristown.
