A New Jersey judge gave U.S. Marshals the greenlight to take DJ Envy’s former business partner Cesar Pina into custody, adding to Pina’s legal troubles. According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Judge Rosemary Gambardella ordered the arrest of Cesar Pina and his wife Jennifer Iturralde Pina on Tuesday (February 20).
The judge found Pina and his wife to be in contempt of a December 2023 court order, which compelled them to produce documents in a bankruptcy case. The Pinas ignored the order. DJ Envy seemingly complied as he was also hit with a subpoena related to Pina’s bankruptcy in December 2023.
Judge Gambardella directed U.S. Marshals to arrest the Pinas on or after February 23. The court held a hearing on a contempt motion in January. A Chapter 11 trustee was “permitted to submit an order” for the arrest of Pina and his wife for failing to turn over documents requested in a subpoena. The court determined the Pinas did not comply with a contempt order after receiving “good and sufficient notice,” paving the way for their arrests.
Judge Gambardella instructed U.S. Marshals to deliver the Pinas to her courtroom in Newark. The judge said authorities were allowed to “use reasonable force to execute this order” and “arrest any person who impedes its execution.”
Last year, Pina filed for bankruptcy amid Ponzi scheme allegations. He was charged by complaint with one count of wire fraud in connection to a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.
“Pina exploited celebrity status and social media to develop a devoted following of potential victims,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. “Promising returns that were too good to be true, Pina allegedly defrauded dozens of people of millions of dollars.”
DJ Envy was sued for his alleged role in the scam. He avoided criminal charges despite his ties to Pina’s business.