Feds bust 14 in Mafia-tied online college sports betting ring involving student athletes
A sprawling illegal sports betting network with alleged ties to the Lucchese crime family, and involving student athletes, was taken down by the feds this week, leading to charges against 14 people in New Jersey, authorities announced.
Prosecutors say the ring solicited individuals, including the athletes, to place bets, with proceeds funneled through the criminal enterprise. Between 2022 and 2024, investigators allege the operation handled roughly $2 million in gambling transactions.
At the center of the network was 55-year-old Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna, a suspected “soldier in the Lucchese crime family” who Attorney General Matthew Platkin identified as the alleged ringleader and who oversaw the operation with help from multiple relatives.
Perna faces six felony charges, including racketeering, conspiracy, gambling, and money laundering.
Betting operations allegedly run by student athletes, along with offshore gambling websites, “systematically enticed individuals to place bets” totaling $2 million during that period, which was then distributed through the network, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Authorities say it was Perna who was the “financier” of the gambling operation. His attorney, Thomas Cataldo, told NBC Philadelphia: “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.”
While the network was directed by Perna, it was operated day-to-day by his 25-year-old son, Joseph R. Perna, who has been charged with managing dozens of “subordinate agents.”
Several of those accused agents were also charged, including another son, Anthony R. Perna, 23; Perna’s stepson, Frank Zito, 23; and two nephews, Dominic Perna, 23, and Michael Cetta, 23.
Two women connected to the family were also charged separately. Perna’s wife, Kim Zito, 53, is accused of receiving multiple payments from the scheme, while his ex-wife, Rosanna Magno, 52, allegedly tried to conceal gambling ledgers from police during a traffic stop.
The investigation began in January 2024, led by New Jersey State Police detectives examining illegal gambling activity in Essex and Bergen counties.
“The takedown of this organized illegal sports gambling ring underscores our unwavering commitment to dismantling criminal networks that profit from corruption and greed,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, on Thursday.
“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.”
“We may all think that the portrayal of organized crime we remember from movies and television shows and books no longer exists, but we are announcing charges today that allege it still does,” Attorney General Platkin said.
“Despite the proliferation of legal betting of all kinds, gambling remains a mainstay of members and associates of organized crime. 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.”
The arrests come on the heels of a federal indictment last month that named alleged Lucchese associates, along with members of other crime families, in a multimillion-dollar rigged poker scheme that also ensnared Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones.
Billups’ attorney has denied his involvement. Rozier also denies any involvement, and his attorney said he “looks forward” to fighting the case. Jones pleaded not guilty last week.
In a separate case earlier this month, MLB pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were charged with allegedly taking bribes linked to gambling. Both deny the allegations.
