TRENTON, N.J. – (*14*) officers have charged 14 people, together with a member of the Lucchese crime household and his sons, with working an unlawful sports gambling ring.
The alleged gambling ring is suspected of transferring tens of millions of {dollars} over the past a number of years, and allegedly had a number of faculty scholar athletes working as bookies.
NJ sports betting ring with mob ties
What we all know:
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin introduced the arrests and fees at a press convention Thursday. Platkin’s workplace has charged Joseph “Little Joe” Perna, with financing and backing the operation, and his son, Joseph R. Perna, with working the day-to-day operations.
Twelve others, together with a number of of Perna’s different sons and nephews his, spouse and ex-wife, have been charged as a part of the group, which allegedly operated out of Essex and Bergen counties in Northern New Jersey.
“This was truly a family affair,” Platkin stated.
Fourteen people charged in reference to an unlawful sports betting ring in New Jersey (Credit: NJ Office of the Attorney General)
The fees allege that “Little Joe” Perna used offshore gambling web sites to rope people in, and that Joseph R. Perna recruited people, together with a number of faculty athletes, to function native sports books throughout the nation.
Officials stated the investigation into this alleged gambling ring started in January 2024. The operation is accused of overseeing roughly $2 million of transactions between 2022 and 2024 alone.
“What started as a local inquiry into suspicious gambling activity at the ports quickly uncovered a far-reaching nationwide network of illegal bookmakers, tied to organized crime,” stated Theresa Hilton, the director of the workplace’s Division of Criminal Justice.
The following people had been charged as a part of the alleged operation:
- Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna
- Joseph R. Perna
- Anthony M. Perna
- Tyler Schnorrbusch
- Frank Zito
- Michael Cetta
- Dominic Perna
- Nicholas Raimo
- Joseph Janish
- William Madeiros
- Spencer Speziale
- Devon Shuster
- Kimberly Zito
- Rosanna Magno
Charges vary from racketeering and cash laundering, to conspiracy, selling gambling by bookmaking and possessing gambling information.
Dig deeper:
Sports betting has been authorized in New Jersey since 2018. Online sports betting particularly made the state greater than $22 million last year alone.
“Responsible gaming…helps protect people,” Platkin stated. “So I want to give to any college student listening, if you’re of age, yes you can gamble on your phones if you’re in the state of New Jersey. You should not be gambling in a mob-backed operation. That’s free parental advice.”
The Source: Information in this story is from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.