Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioNew Jersey announced charges against 14 individuals alleged to be running an illegal gambling network that generated over $2 million. The operation was spearheaded by Joseph “Little Joe” Perna, a member of the Lucchese crime family, and included college athletes who ran sportsbooks on behalf of the Mafia.
Others arrested include Perna’s wife, ex-wife, sons, stepson, and nephews. Prosecutors allege Perna recruited his son and his college friends to participate in the scheme. Further details have not been revealed, but the implication is that the students were running sportsbooks on college campuses. Ten of those charged are aged between 23 and 25 years old.
Perna is accused of masterminding the operation with his son, Joseph P. Perna, the master agent. A police report states that Perna Jr. conducted the daily operations of the sportsbook, facilitating dozens of subordinate agents.
It goes on to say, “The enterprise systematically enticed individuals to place bets and the illicit proceeds were used to operate the enterprise and enrich the enterprise members.
“Members of the enterprise included student athletes, who operated sportsbooks for the Perna enterprise. Between 2022 and 2024, the Enterprise transferred approximately $2,000,000 in suspected gambling transactions.”
There is no indication that the charges are related to the recent NBA betting and rigged poker scandals, although one of those indicted, Seth Trustman, was also identified as an associate of the Lucchese family.
Student-Athletes Among Those Charged
Two of those charged have been identified as former Rutgers University wrestlers, Michael Cetta and Nicholas Raimo. Cetta has been named as one of three agents.
A picture on his Instagram profile shows him competing at Rutgers with the tag, “Live in the fire, Train in the fire, So when s*** gets hard you’re ready to pull it out of the fire”.
Cetta and others have been charged with racketeering, promoting gambling by bookmaking, possession of gambling records, money laundering, and conspiracy. If convicted, the defendants face up to 50 years in prison and fines of up to $865,000.
Attorney General Matthew Plotkin said college students should heed the warning, stating, “You should not be gambling in a mob-backed operation. That’s free parental advice.”
In a statement announcing the charges, Plotkin added, “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.”
NCAA Relaxes Betting Rules for College Athletes
While sports betting is legal in New Jersey, it is restricted to individuals over the age of 21. Additionally, college athletes have been banned from participating in or betting on any sport. The NCAA made a rule change this month to allow athletes to bet on pro sports, but gambling on college sports remains prohibited.
Plotkin declined to identify the colleges involved in the scheme, but it would appear to be concentrated in New Jersey. One of those charged, Devon Shuster, also attended Saint Leo University in Florida, where he was part of the college’s lacrosse team. Prosecutors allege the scheme ran from 2022 to 2024.
The scheme has also been identified as only accepting illegal wagers, rather than fixing the outcome of college matches. It therefore appears to be unrelated to the charges brought against six NCAA basketball players this week.
The arrests of MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have also led to further scrutiny of the sports betting industry. In response, MLB has placed restrictions on the amount bettors can wager on micro bets, which are open to manipulation.
The arrests in New Jersey, however, send a warning that pushing bettors away from legal platforms opens up the market to organized crime. Economist Dr. David Forrest told CasinoBeats this week that keeping betting in the legal sector as much as possible is the best way to reduce the risks of match-fixing, problem gambling, and a range of other problems.
