NY Times: Lucchese Crime Family Member Charged in Multimillion Sports Betting Ring
According to the New York Times reporting, prosecutors allege a member of the Lucchese organized crime family financed a multimillion-dollar sports betting operation that recruited college athletes as bookmakers. This illegal ring operated for two years, processing approximately $2 million in transactions through offshore websites.
Law enforcement arrested and charged 14 people in connection with the enterprise. The accused face charges including racketeering, conspiracy, gambling offenses, and money laundering.
Organized Crime Recruits College Athletes
The operation was allegedly funded by Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna, a reported member of the Lucchese family in Fairfield, New Jersey. His 25-year-old son, Joseph R. Perna, managed the daily business.
The younger Perna built a network of Gen Z bookmakers through his circle of friends, which included several college athletes.
Prosecutors claim Joseph M. Perna “farmed” his betting operations using this recruitment method. The enterprise leveraged offshore websites to manage the bets and transactions.
Among those charged were Michael Cetta, 23, and Nicholas Raimo, 25. Their profiles match former Rutgers University wrestlers, and both were charged with serving as “agents” for the ring. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin confirmed that a “number” of college athletes were involved.
Illegal Betting Persists Despite Legal Market
The charges come even though sports betting is legal in New Jersey, the state whose legal challenge led to the nationwide legalization of the activity in 2018.
Attorney General Platkin stated that organized crime groups still find it difficult to abandon illegal gambling. “Organized crime families seem to have a hard time breaking this old habit, so we’re going to break it for them,” Platkin said.
The persistence of this illegal activity highlights a major issue. Critics of legalization argue that the sheer volume of betting options created by legal markets increases the potential for corruption. They also note that legal operations have not eliminated underground rings.
Legal Defense and Industry Context
The attorneys for the accused have begun to challenge the government’s claims. Anthony Iacullo, the lawyer for Joseph R. Perna, stated that his client denies the allegations and plans to fight them in court. “Joseph looks forward to confronting the false allegations against him in a court of law,” Iacullo noted.
Another lawyer, Brian J. Neary, expressed doubt about the illegal operation’s ability to compete with regulated industry giants. He questioned the premise of the charges, saying, “College kids… can’t compete with FanDuel.” Despite this skepticism, the investigation shows the potential for corruption when illegal operations target young athletes. Attorney General Platkin issued a warning to university students, advising, “You should not be gambling in a mob-backed operation. That’s free parental advice.”
The American Gaming Association has also voiced concerns to the Department of Justice about the continued problem of illegal gambling in the US. This New Jersey case reflects a wider trend of increased gambling-related charges in American sports, including recent federal cases involving the NBA and MLB.
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