Cesar Humberto Pina, the 48-year-old Franklin Lakes real estate investor known online as Flipping NJ, admitted in federal court to orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that used social media followers, laundered drug money and a bribe to a Paterson official to keep his real estate empire running. Pina pleaded guilty in Newark to four counts including wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, bribery of an agent of a program receiving federal funds and travel act bribery.
The plea came before Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, according to a report from NJ.com, and Pina now faces sentencing on March 10, 2027. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the guilty plea and Pina's admissions, which lay out how a social-media-savvy house flipper allegedly turned investor trust into a years-long scheme spanning fraud, drug money and political corruption.
How Flipping NJ Built His Following
Pina used his social media presence and a partnership with a celebrity disc jockey to attract investors from across the country, according to the case against him. Starting in at least 2017, he began accepting money from individual investors for the purchase, remodeling and sale of specific properties in New Jersey and other states, according to NBC New York. That outlet reported Pina partnered with radio host DJ Envy to run real estate seminars around the country, and through those seminars, self-promotion and other marketing, he built a significant social media following.
Pina promised returns of 30% or higher within four to five months on those real estate investments, prosecutors say, and he has now admitted to it. Behind those promises, the same report says, was a Ponzi-like structure: new investor funds were used to pay off earlier investors while Pina spent other investor money on unauthorized business and personal expenses. He has admitted to misappropriating millions of dollars that were meant for real estate investments.
Drug Money and a Bribe at Paterson Zoning
Pina also admitted to laundering drug money — specifically, illicit funds from controlled-substance sales for people he knew were involved in narcotics trafficking. Separately, he admitted to bribing a local politician, providing cash to a Paterson official in exchange for official assistance and influence. That assistance was tied to Pina's Old School 5 development project, which had pending applications before the Paterson Zoning Board of Adjustment, according to the earlier charging account reported by NBC New York.
Stefanie Roddy, identified in the case, said Pina used his online influencer persona to exploit victims' trust and lure them into the scheme. Roddy said Pina stole millions from investors, laundered money for drug traffickers and bribed a politician — a summary that tracks with what Pina has now admitted in court.
From Sealed Complaint to Guilty Plea
Pina's case dates back three years. A sealed criminal complaint against him was entered on October 19, 2023, following his arrest and initial appearance the day before, according to court records reviewed on CourtListener. The court set his appearance bond at $100 million at that time. He was later charged by criminal indictment with two counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, two counts of money laundering and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, per NBC New York's account of the case.```
A separate 2025 report described the alleged scheme as centering on four investment properties and $17 million in defrauded investor funds, though that figure comes from a lower-confidence account. Investigators have alleged, with greater certainty, that Pina defrauded dozens of investors of millions of dollars overall.
The Penalties He Now Faces
Each of the charges Pina pleaded guilty to carries significant prison exposure. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, as does the money laundering conspiracy charge. The bribery charge involving federal funds carries a maximum of 10 years, and the travel act bribery charge carries a maximum of five years — with substantial fines attached to each count.
A Pattern Playing Out Beyond New Jersey
Pina's case fits a pattern seen elsewhere in real estate influencer circles, where promoters use social media followings and seminars to draw in investors before allegedly funneling new money to pay off old. In Philadelphia, influencer couple Gregory “Big Bizzneesss” Parker and Danielle “Nikki” Parker were indicted on federal fraud charges alleging they ran a similar Ponzi scheme, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Prosecutors in that case alleged the Parkers promised investors returns of 20% or more within months on Cleveland real estate deals, then used new investor money to repay earlier investors and fund their own lifestyle — including a $23,490 private jet lease and $19,754 a month for a fleet of 11 luxury cars, the Inquirer reported. A 2023 investigation into the Parkers found some investors had turned over life savings or retirement funds and later received small payments or nothing at all.
Pina's wife, Jennifer Iturralde Pina, was separately charged with one count of destruction of records in a federal investigation connected to the probe of her husband's real estate scheme, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The original 2025 federal indictment against Pina himself was detailed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which charged him with two counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering conspiracy, two money-laundering counts and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
