Morristown NJ
12-01-2025 2:54pm

Morris County Freeholder Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme

John Cesaro admits to accepting $7,700 in cash to steer legal contracts; state seeks five-year prison term and permanent public service ban.

MORRISTOWN, NJ - John Cesaro, 53, a former Morris County Freeholder, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery for accepting cash in exchange for using his political influence to steer public contracts, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced.

Cesaro entered his plea on November 17, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober in Somerset County. He admitted under oath to accepting $7,700 in bribes between April and May 2018 in Randolph, Mountain Lakes, and Morristown, while serving as an elected county official.

According to the charges, Cesaro accepted money from a cooperating witness, a tax attorney, in exchange for promising to help retain the attorney’s law firm for government legal work through his position on the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, now known as the Board of County Commissioners.

“The public’s faith in government is shaken when elected officials trade favors or preferential treatment for illicit payments,” said Attorney General Platkin. “Government service is about serving the public, not about getting unlawful perks.”

Penalties

Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend a five-year prison sentence at Cesaro’s sentencing on January 16, 2026. He has also agreed to:

  • Forfeit the $7,700 gained from the bribery scheme

  • Pay a $23,000 public corruption profiteering penalty

  • Accept permanent disqualification from public office or employment in New Jersey

  • Undergo a five-year debarment from conducting business with the state or its subdivisions

“This guilty plea shows that public servants who abuse their positions to enrich themselves at the expense of New Jersey residents will face justice,” said Eric L. Gibson, Executive Director of OPIA.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Michael Grillo and Andrew Wellbrock, and Deputy Attorney General Adam Gerken, under the supervision of Corruption Bureau Director Jeffrey J. Manis and OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher.

The Office of Public Integrity and Accountability continues to lead state efforts to investigate and prosecute public corruption across New Jersey.

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