NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — After years of federal investigations, lawsuits, accusations from investors, and a sweeping federal indictment, Cesar Humberto Pina, the real estate influencer widely known as “Flipping NJ” and former real estate business partner of radio personality DJ Envy, is scheduled to appear in federal court this week for a plea agreement hearing.
According to the federal court docket, Pina’s hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 2:00 PM in Newark before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.
The scheduling of a plea agreement hearing is a major development and indicates that prosecutors and Pina have reached or are working from a plea agreement. The exact terms and the specific charge or charges to which Pina is expected to plead have not yet been established by the public sources reviewed here.
So while the headline is significant, it is important to be precise: the guilty plea is expected to occur at the hearing. It should not be reported as completed until Pina actually enters the plea and the court accepts it.
THE CASE AGAINST CESAR PINA
Pina’s legal problems extend far beyond the original wire fraud charge that led to his arrest in October 2023.
In July 2025, federal prosecutors announced a broader indictment charging Pina 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.
Federal prosecutors allege that Pina solicited millions of dollars from investors for real estate projects while promising substantial returns. Instead, prosecutors say investor funds were commingled, money from newer investors was used to pay earlier investors, and funds were spent on unauthorized business and personal expenses.
The federal indictment went even further, alleging that Pina participated in laundering proceeds connected to narcotics trafficking and provided bribes and other benefits to a Paterson public official in an effort to advance real estate development projects.
THE DJ ENVY CONNECTION
Pina became nationally known in large part through his highly publicized real estate relationship with DJ Envy, whose legal name is Raashaun Casey.
Federal prosecutors themselves have described Pina as having partnered with a celebrity DJ and radio personality to conduct real estate seminars around the country.
DJ Envy and Pina publicly appeared together promoting real estate, including seminars and media appearances. Previous reporting documented Envy discussing properties using language such as “properties that we own,” while Pina was repeatedly presented publicly as his real estate business partner.
DJ Envy has not been criminally charged in Pina’s federal case.
Envy has maintained that he did not participate in Pina’s alleged fraud and has said that he was himself a victim who lost money investing with Pina. His attorney has likewise maintained that Envy did nothing wrong.
That distinction matters.
But so does the history of how Pina built credibility.
Federal prosecutors specifically alleged that Pina used real estate seminars, promotional efforts and his association with a celebrity radio personality as part of building the public profile through which investors ultimately came to know him.
FROM “NOT GUILTY” TO A PLEA AGREEMENT HEARING
When Pina was originally arrested, he pleaded not guilty and was released on a $1 million bond.
For years, the allegations surrounding his real estate operation were disputed publicly.
Now the case appears to be approaching a dramatically different stage.
Recent reporting based on federal court records had already revealed that a plea agreement hearing was being scheduled, although an earlier hearing date was subsequently changed.
The latest docket entry now places that hearing on September 3 at 2 PM.
If Pina enters a guilty plea as anticipated, the biggest questions will immediately become:
What exactly is Cesar Pina pleading guilty to?
How many charges are being dismissed or resolved through the agreement?
What sentencing exposure does he face?
Does the plea agreement require cooperation with federal investigators?
And does that cooperation involve anyone else connected to his businesses, investments, or real estate activities?
Those answers could ultimately become as important as the plea itself.
For the investors who have spent years alleging that they lost substantial amounts of money, September 3 could represent one of the most consequential days since Pina was first arrested.
The story is no longer simply about allegations. If the anticipated guilty plea is entered and accepted Thursday, the federal case will officially move into an entirely different chapter.