PARSIPPANY — As reported on njglobe.com, Former Freeholder John Cesaro, charged by the state attorney general for taking a bribe, will not become the new Rockaway Township municipal prosecutor next month.
Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Puzio has instead decided to reappoint Peter King, who has held the post for the last few years. Puzio had initially offered the job to Cesaro, a surprising move since King was an experienced prosecutor, as stated in njglobe.com.
King is the counsel to the Morris County Republican Committee, and a partner in the Peter King Law Group located in Parsippany.
John Cesaro was a sitting county freeholder at the time of the alleged criminal conduct, solicited contributions from the cooperating witness for his 2021 campaign for Mayor of Parsippany-Troy Hills. Cesaro allegedly accepted bribes from the cooperating witness, in return for which he promised to secure more tax work from Morris County for the cooperating witness and make him tax counsel for Parsippany-Troy Hills if elected. According to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission website, Cesaro did not file a petition to seek the Mayoral office, but did file to seek Heather Darling’s vacated seat in the June 2020 primary.