PARSIPPANY — More than six years after he was first charged, former Morris County Freeholder and Parsippany councilman John Cesaro was sentenced to three years probation and will not serve jail time in connection with a bribery scheme tied to a public contract sting operation.
Superior Court Judge Peter Tober rejected a request by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability that sought a five-year state prison sentence. Instead, the judge imposed probation, ordered Cesaro to forfeit the $7,700 he accepted, and assessed a $23,000 fine.
Cesaro pleaded guilty in November to accepting bribes in exchange for steering public contracts to tax appeal attorney Matt O’Donnell. The charges stemmed from a December 2019 sting operation conducted by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
In addition to probation and financial penalties, Cesaro is permanently barred from holding public office or public employment and is prohibited from conducting business with the State of New Jersey for five years. The New Jersey Supreme Court will determine whether he will retain his law license.
Cesaro, who previously served on the Parsippany Township Council, had attempted a political comeback in January 2021, seeking his party’s nomination for a freeholder seat being vacated by Heather Darling, who was elected Morris County Surrogate. He previously lost reelection in the 2018 Republican primary.
O’Donnell pleaded guilty in October 2021 to charges related to using straw donors and illegal cash contributions to secure public contracts for his law firm. He faces a potential three-year prison sentence but cannot be sentenced until the final related case in the sting operation is resolved.
As part of his plea agreement, O’Donnell agreed to a 10-year ban on conducting business with the state, full restitution to victims, forfeiture of $600,000, a $250,000 public corruption profiteering penalty, and a lifetime ban from public employment.
