PARSIPPANY — A cannabis company whose Parsippany dispensary application was endorsed by the Barberio Administration and later rejected by the Township Council in 2026 is named in a lawsuit as one of several ventures connected to State Senator Raj Mukherji, whose sister-in-law is listed as the company’s managing member.
The verified complaint, filed Wednesday, September 30, in Superior Court in Union County by Justin Shoham, Mukherji’s former chief of staff, accuses Mukherji and a group of business partners of what it calls a “predatory cartelization scheme.” Shoham alleges that the defendants recruited social equity partners to help obtain cannabis licenses, then shut those partners out of profits and control once the licenses were secured.
The Parsippany Connection
According to the complaint, Anusha Alagarasan, Mukherji’s sister-in-law, is listed as member and manager of Fresh Dispensary Parsippany LLC, “a cannabis retail applicant that received municipal endorsement in Parsippany.” The lawsuit alleges that Alagarasan used the telephone number of CannTech, the cannabis consulting company Mukherji runs, and appears in email correspondence with Shoham and Mukherji about tax filings for CannTech-affiliated entities.
The complaint lists Fresh Dispensary Parsippany among at least five “CannTech-connected” cannabis ventures, alongside projects in Union, Springfield and Hoboken, and alleges that each used overlapping infrastructure, counsel and recruitment models.
The lawsuit also describes a recorded conversation in which Shoham says Mukherji identified Alagarasan and another individual as social equity partners in “identical arrangements” to the one Shoham was in.
The allegations in the complaint have not been proven in court. Fresh Dispensary Parsippany, Alagarasan and the company’s other members are not named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The Application
Fresh Dispensary Parsippany applied to the township for a Class 5 cannabis retailer license. The township’s application period ran from August 4 through August 31, 2025. Fresh Dispensary Parsippany planned to operate at 3159 Route 46 East, a location shared with A2B Indian Veg Restaurant, Fuddruckers, and Days Inn. The proposed property is owned by Dr. Bhagirath Maheta.
State records show Fresh Dispensary Parsippany LLC was formed on September 4 of last year, four days after the township’s initial application period closed. Its certificate of formation lists Wayne F. Hanson, of Avon, Colorado, and Anusha Alagarasan, of Weehawken, as its members and managers. Cobbs is not listed on the state filing.
Prior to their application being submitted the township pushed the deadline from August 31 to Tuesday, September 16 at 4:00 p.m.
The application for Fresh Dispensary lists three owners:
- Anusha Alagarasan, 51 percent, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member
- Wayne F. Hanson, 48 percent, Member
- Robert J. Cobbs, 1 percent
Attorney John P. Inglesino of Inglesino Taylor in Parsippany is listed as the primary contact on the application.
Inglesino was the Township Attorney under the Barberio Administration for eight years. According to ELEC reports, Maheta contributed thousands to Barberio’s campaign.
Inglesino and Mukherji have a prior business connection. According to a report published by The Observer more than 15 years ago, Inglesino joined Impact NJ, LLC, a government affairs and lobbying firm co-owned by Mukherji and Michael Murphy. The report said former Republican Assemblyman Guy Gregg also joined the firm, and that Mukherji publicly welcomed Inglesino, citing his government experience and legal background.
Endorsement and Reversal
Applications were reviewed by the township’s Cannabis Advisory Committee, created by Ordinance 2024:21. Under Section 119-6 of the Township Code, the committee serves as the local review body for all cannabis establishments, and the Council may only consider a resolution of support for an applicant that has received the committee’s recommendation to approve. The committee’s members include the mayor or the mayor’s designee, the chief of police or a designee, and the business administrator. Former Mayor James Barberio, who was mayor at the time, served on the committee, which recommended approval of Fresh Dispensary Parsippany’s application.
The Township Council unanimously endorsed the application last November through Resolution R2025-200, supporting the company’s bid for a state license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
On Tuesday, June 23, under the current administration, the Council voted to rescind that support through Resolution R2026-145, citing the applicant’s failure to submit a complete and accurate application.
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