BRIBERY BUST: EX-JERSEY CITY SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT PLEADS GUILTY IN $35K CASH-FOR-CONTRACTS SCHEME

Former Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with a state corruption probe, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced Friday.

Thomas, 50, entered his plea on September 5, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober in Somerset County.

Prosecutors said Thomas admitted to taking $35,000 in cash bribes from a tax attorney in 2019 while running for reelection to the school board and campaigning for a City Council seat. In exchange, he agreed to steer government contracts to the attorney’s law firm. Authorities moved in immediately after he accepted a second cash payment of $25,000.

Plea Deal and Penalties

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a five-year prison sentence. Thomas must also:

• Forfeit $10,000 in illicit funds

• Pay a $30,000 public corruption penalty

• Permanently forfeit public employment

• Refrain from doing business with the state for five years

“This case shows our commitment to holding public officials accountable when they betray the public trust,” Attorney General Platkin said.

Wider Corruption Probe

Thomas is one of several officials charged in the same investigation:

• John S. Windish, a former Mount Arlington councilman, pleaded guilty earlier this year and forfeited $7,000.

• Mary Dougherty, a former Morris County Freeholder candidate, admitted to taking $10,000 and was sentenced to probation in 2021.

• Cases against former Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell of Bayonne and former Morris County Freeholder John Cesaro remain pending.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on October 17, 2025.