Authorities in New Jersey charged 14 people with allegedly running a multi-million-dollar illegal gambling operation, the state’s attorney general, Matthew J. Platkin, announced in a press release Thursday. Police say a group of people, including a suspected mob member and his relatives, ran a large illegal betting operation.
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This gambling ring reportedly involved student athletes, which suggests bets may have been placed on college sports or that athletes may have been involved in the scheme.
Suspected mob member and family among those charged
One of the people charged is Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna, 55, who is described as a suspected member of the Lucchese crime family. Perna faces charges including racketeering, conspiracy, illegal gambling offenses and money laundering.
Perna’s sons, stepson and nephews are among the others facing the same charges.Additionally, Perna’s wife and ex-wife are facing charges, though not for racketeering. They are being charged separately for other offenses that are not part of the main organized-crime conspiracy.
“Despite the proliferation of legal betting of all kinds, gambling remains a mainstay of members and associates of organized crime,” Platkin said in a statement. “The locations and methods may have evolved, but illegal gambling — in this case, sports betting — remains a problem, and we will charge those who seek to profit from it.”
Police say the Perna group ran a large illegal sports-betting ring that even involved student athletes helping to run betting accounts.
Investigation and operations
In January 2024, New Jersey State Police investigators began looking into an illegal sports betting operation based in Essex and Bergen counties. According to investigators, this operation actively encouraged people to place illegal sports bets. The money made from the bets was used to keep the betting operation running and financially benefit the people involved.
Student athletes were part of the operation as operators who ran sportsbooks on behalf of the Perna organization. From 2022 to 2024, the betting ring moved around $2 million in transactions that authorities believe were related to illegal gambling.
Authorities say “Little Joe” Perna oversaw and financed the nationwide illegal sports-betting operation. His son, Joseph R. Perna, allegedly ran the day-to-day sportsbook activities and managed dozens of agents, including several relatives: his brother, Anthony Perna, 23; his stepbrother, Frank Zito, 23; his cousin, Dominic Perna, 23 and another cousin, Michael Cetta, 23.
According to NBC Philadelphia, an attorney for the elder Perna responded to the charges, saying, “On behalf of my client, he denies all the allegations set forth in the complaint. I don’t have enough information yet to comment on the evidence, other than to say he’s not guilty.”
Perna’s wife and his ex-wife are accused of handling or trying to hide items linked to the illegal gambling scheme. His current wife, Kim Zito, 53, who is Frank Zito’s mother, allegedly received money in late 2023 from people connected to her son. Authorities say the funds were part of the gambling operation’s proceeds.
Perna’s former wife, 52-year-old Rosanna Magno — the mother of Joseph R. and Anthony Perna, and the aunt of Michael Cetta — allegedly tried to hide gambling records from police in April 2025. These documents were later confirmed to be tied to the illegal gambling operation.
“These racketeering operations exploit vulnerable individuals and communities, and today’s charges send a clear message — we will continue to protect victims and pursue justice wherever organized crime takes root,” Col. Patrick J. Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said in a statement.
Other organized crime cases
Several associates of the Lucchese crime family and other organized crime groups were recently charged in a federal case involving multimillion-dollar rigged poker games, along with NBA figures Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones. All deny wrongdoing.
Separately, MLB pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians were charged with allegedly taking gambling-related bribes. They also deny the allegations.
