'Flipping NJ' Influencer From Bergen County Pleads Guilty To Bribing Politican: Feds

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A real estate investor and influencer who uses the name "Flipping NJ" pleaded guilty Thursday to running a multimillion dollar real estate fraud scheme, bribing a Paterson politician, and laundering money for drug traffickers, officials said.

Cesar Humberto Pina, 48, pleaded guilty before Hon. Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark to a four-count superseding information charging him with wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, bribery of an agent of a program receiving federal funds, and travel act bribery, officials said.

Pina had been indicted on the charges back in July 2025.

“It is hard to imagine a more varied spate of criminal activity, which robbed investors of their life savings, helped facilitate drug trafficking, and undermined confidence in our elected officials," said U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer on Thursday.

Among the bribery schemes, Pina provided cash and other bribes to the official in exchange for influence in connection with Pina’s “Old School 5” development project, which had pending applications before the Paterson Zoning Board of Adjustment, officials say.

Officials say that Pina partnered with a celebrity disc jockey and radio personality to conduct real estate seminars around the country.

Starting around 2017, Pina began accepting investments from individuals to purchase, remodel, and sell real estate in New Jersey and other states, officials say. Instead of using investors’ funds as promised, he used some of it to pay prior investors in a multimillion-dollar "Ponzi-like scheme," officials say. He also spent some of the funds on business and personal expenses.

Pina's Instagram page, Flipping_NJ, describes him as "Real Estate Investor & Developer #1 Bestselling Author." The page has 274,000 followers.

Pina will sentenced on March 10, 2027.

See prior reporting here.