Fourteen Charged For Mob-Linked College Sports Betting Scandal

The office of the New Jersey Attorney General announced on Thursday that 14 people have been charged for their role in a massive illegal sports betting ring. 

The sports betting operation is linked to organized crime, allegedly including members of the Lucchese crime family, according to New Jersey officials.

"Today we are alleging that a member and associates of the Lucchese crime family were running a sophisticated sports betting operation," said DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton. "They are also charged with money laundering and other crimes as part of their racketeering enterprise. We are committed to rooting out these illegal operations and protecting the public from becoming their victims."

Joseph "Little Joe" Perna of the Lucchese crime family was one of those charged, with authorities saying that he and other associates were using a group of bookmakers across the country to facilitate millions of dollars in bets from 2022-2024. Several of those bookmakers were college athletes working at the direction of "Little Joe" and his associates. 

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin didn't specify which athletes or specific sports were allegedly part of the ring.

"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," 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."

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, with Attorney General Merrick Garland (L), speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC, on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

NCAA Looking Into Illegal Sports Betting Ring

According to an ESPN report, the NCAA is "aware of the charges and is looking into the case." 

New Jersey officials also provided an organizational chart of the alleged sports betting ring, which includes a number of members of his family. Those family members include his sons, stepson, and nephews. Charges include conspiracy, money laundering, gambling offenses and racketeering.  

"Perna acted as the ‘financier,’ who supported the operation," said the release from the Office of the Attorney General. "Perna’s son, Joseph R. Perna, 25, of Oakland, N.J., conducted the daily operations of the sportsbook, facilitating dozens of subordinate agents, including his brother, Anthony Perna, 23, of Oakland; his stepbrother, Frank Zito, 23, of Fairfield; and his cousins, Dominic Perna, 23, of Newark, N.J.; and Michael Cetta, 23, of North Haledon, N.J."

Despite the legalization of sports betting across much of the country, there's clearly still a concerted effort to get a piece of gambling revenue from states where gambling isn't legal. And as we've seen over the past few years, there is a seemingly limitless desire to gamble on sports. 

How this implicates college athletes, and which schools, remains unclear. But it's becoming part of a growing trend where athletes have been implicated in sports betting. Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians being another prominent recent example. While this obviously does not involve a legalized form of gambling, like Clase's alleged situation, there's little doubt that this is not going away, and it's not getting better.

RELATED: DOJ Indictment Of Cleveland Guardians Pitchers Clase, Ortiz Reveals Shocking Details

Even in this specific incident, there's certainly more story coming.