Pina, firm gave $10,850 to Paterson, N.J. campaigns, ELEC shows

Follow-up to our Oct. 23 report.

JERSEY INTEL EXCLUSIVE

First reported by Jersey Intel. PATERSON, N.J. — Real estate developer Cesar Pina and his company Whairhouse LLC contributed $10,850 across six donations to five Paterson, N.J. municipal candidates between 2016 and 2022 — including $7,850 during the 2019-to-2022 window in which Pina admitted paying bribes that included “campaign contributions” to an unnamed city official, New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) filings show.

Pina, 48, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., the social media real estate personality known as “Flipping NJ,” pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 22, in federal court in Newark to wire fraud, money-laundering conspiracy, bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, and Travel Act bribery. As Jersey Intel reported in our Oct. 23 report, Pina admitted paying an unnamed Paterson official (“Individual-2”) approximately $50,000 in cash and checks, along with other benefits, between 2019 and 2022 to seek help getting his “Old School 5” apartment conversion at 385–391 Totowa Ave. scheduled and approved by the Paterson Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Federal prosecutors have not named or charged the Paterson official referenced as “Individual-2” in the superseding information. None of the candidates or campaign committees listed in state ELEC records is accused of wrongdoing in the Pina case, and campaign contributions within state limits are lawful and publicly disclosed under New Jersey election law.

How the charging documents tie the ELEC filings to Pina

Count Three of the federal superseding information (Paragraph 12) states that between approximately 2019 and 2022, Pina gave “a stream of cash payments, checks, campaign contributions, and other benefits and things of value to Individual-2 in exchange for Individual-2’s official actions, assistance, and influence in favor of Pina’s real estate projects, to include Old School 5.”

While the federal court papers do not specify which campaign committee or committees received contributions tied to the case, Count One of the superseding information (Paragraph 1(e) and (f)) and the July 7, 2025 federal indictment (ECF No. 44) identify two corporate entities controlled by Pina that appear directly in New Jersey’s campaign finance database:

• Whairhouse LLC (“Whairhouse”): Identified in Paragraph 1(e) of the superseding information as “a New Jersey limited liability company that Pina controlled,” which Pina used in November 2018 and April 2019 to purchase properties on Park Avenue and Manchester Avenue in Paterson.
• FromStart2Flip LLC, a/k/a “From Start 2 Flipping LLC”: Identified in Paragraph 1(f) as a New Jersey limited liability company controlled by Pina and cited in Count Three (Paragraph 21) in connection with a February 2022 Paterson property sale.

In ELEC disclosures, Pina’s individual contributions list his employer as either “Whairhouse Limited,” “Whair House Limited LLC,” or “From Start 2 Flipping LLC,” with business or donor addresses at 335 Boyle Ave. and 811 Totowa Rd. in Totowa, N.J., and 411 19th Ave. and 468 19th Ave. in Paterson.

The $10,850 reported by Paterson municipal campaigns (2016–2022)

A review of all ELEC contribution records matching Cesar Pina and Whairhouse variations shows six monetary contributions totaling $10,850 reported by five Paterson municipal candidate committees between April 2016 and May 2022. Four of those contributions, totaling $7,850, were reported between November 2019 and May 2022:

Of those six Paterson municipal contributions, only the Jan. 29, 2020 contribution of $2,600 to Councilman Alex Mendez had been previously noted in news coverage, when Paterson Press reported on Sept. 1, 2020 on municipal candidates’ campaign finance filings. Earlier, in July 2018, Paterson Times also reported on Pina’s acquisition of the former School 5 property from the Paterson school district and a 5–4 City Council vote accepting a $30,000 ballfield donation from Pina’s “One Paterson” group.

Once again, inclusion in public ELEC contribution records does not indicate that any listed candidate is the unnamed official described in the federal charging document or had any connection to Pina’s zoning application.

Another $14,000 in contributions across New Jersey

Beyond Paterson municipal races, ELEC records show Pina and Whairhouse entities reported $14,000 across seven contributions to county and municipal committees elsewhere in New Jersey between 2018 and 2020, bringing their statewide ELEC total to $24,850:

• Passaic County Democratic Committee: $3,500 on Sept. 28, 2018 (Work ID 1150954) and $500 on Sept. 17, 2019 (Work ID 1213921) from Whairhouse Limited, 335 Boyle Ave., Totowa ($4,000 total).
• West New York “Forward With Roque 2019 (Team Roque)” joint candidates committee: $3,000 on March 27, 2019 from Whair House Ltd, 335 Boyle Ave. (Work ID 1181629).
• Passaic Mayor Hector C. Lora: $1,500 on Nov. 16, 2019 from Whairhouse Limited Liability Co, 411 19th Ave., Paterson (Work ID 1402347).
• Passaic Board of Education slate (“Soto Carrera & Schratz-Robinson Team Passaic BOE 2020”): $500 on Jan. 22, 2020 from Whairhouse Limited Liability Company, 64 Passaic St., Garfield (Work ID 1235752).
• Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr.: $2,500 on May 26, 2020 from Whairhouse Limited Limited Liability Company for the 2020 primary election (Work ID 1269945) and $2,500 on Nov. 3, 2020 from Cesar Pina (employer: Whairhouse, LLC, 335 Boyle Ave., Totowa) for the 2020 general election (Work ID 1280682; $5,000 total).

What happens next in the Old School 5 case

Under his Oct. 22 plea before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, Pina faces sentencing scheduled for March 10, 2027. The wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy counts each carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison, the federal program bribery count carries up to 10 years, and the Travel Act bribery count carries up to five years.

As detailed in our Oct. 23 report, City of Paterson YouTube recordings show the Zoning Board of Adjustment carried Taylor Five Apartments LLC’s application for the Old School 5 site at 385–391 Totowa Ave. (Application No. A2019-0008) on Oct. 22, 2020 and March 11, 2021 — while the developer’s attorney cited unresolved municipal tax and sewer liens — before voting unanimously to dismiss the application without prejudice on Sept. 9, 2021. The superseding information states that the applications reappeared on later board agendas, including around Aug. 4, 2022, “but has not yet approved them.”

Public ELEC databases through Oct. 26, 2026 list no subsequent refund entries tied to the six Paterson municipal contributions above. Jersey Intel sent written requests for comment on Monday, Oct. 26 to Councilmen Alex Mendez, Michael Jackson, and Luis Velez, Council Vice President Maritza Davila, Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz, and Pina’s defense attorney, Gerald Krovatin of Newark, asking whether the contributions were kept, returned, or donated elsewhere and whether Pina or his companies sought assistance with any city matter. This story will be updated with any responses.

Track Paterson property values, redevelopments, and tax bills

The Old School 5 zoning case centered on a former public school building at 385–391 Totowa Ave. where unresolved municipal tax and sewer liens repeatedly surfaced during public hearings. Passaic County homeowners, buyers, and residents tracking how multi-unit redevelopments and local assessments affect neighborhood property taxes can run a free assessment and overpayment check on GardenState.ai using the NJ Property Tax Calculator, or check local market estimates and comparable sales with the Free NJ Home Value & CMA Tool.

Tip: Have public records, zoning filings, or campaign finance documents on Paterson development projects? Email jerseyintel@gmail.com.

Jersey Intel asks: When a developer pleads guilty in a federal corruption case, should campaigns donate an equivalent amount of past contributions from that donor to charity even if their own campaign is not accused of wrongdoing? Share your view in the comments.