Fourteen people, including student athletes, have been indicted in a mob-tied sports betting and illegal gambling ring in New Jersey, the New Jersey Attorney General announced on Thursday.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s office identified 55 55-year-old Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna of Fairfield, New Jersey, as the head of the illegal operation. His sons, stepson, and nephews were also involved in the organized family crime ring, and they were charged with racketeering, conspiracy, gambling offenses, and money laundering, according to a press release.
“Perna’s son, Joseph R. Perna, 25, of Oakland, New Jersey, 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, New Jersey; and Michael Cetta, 23, of North Haledon, New Jersey,” the release states.
“Co-defendants Tyler Schnorrbusch, 23, of Wyckoff, New Jersey; Nicholas Raimo, 25, of East Hanover, New Jersey; Joseph Janish, 23, of North Caldwell, New Jersey, William Medeiros, 22, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island; Spencer Speziale, 22, of Wyckoff; and Devon Shuster, 28, of Gainesville, Florida, are all high-level agents of the enterprise who managed their own sportsbooks within the Perna enterprise.”
Joseph M. Perna’s wife and ex-wife, as well as Frank Zito’s mother, were also involved and received several payments from known conspirators.
The more than two-year investigation found that “the enterprise transferred approximately $2 million in suspected gambling transactions.”
Platkin revealed that the scheme relied on “operation relied on Gen Z gamblers and a network of sub agents recruited from among Pernas sons, high school, and college friends.”
“They effectively recruited younger gamblers, or players that they knew would be able to pay up, or those that they could leverage payment from, namely college students and student athletes,” Platkin said.
Officials did not identify the colleges or high schools of the students involved.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin, Division of Criminal Justice Director Theresa Hilton, and Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick Callahan announced the indictment during a press conference on Thursday.
WATCH:
Per nj.com:
Former Rutgers University wrestlers, Michael Cetta, 23, of North Haledon and Nicholas Raimo, 25, of East Hanover, were among those charged.
Raimo was a two-time state wrestling champion at Hanover Park high school.
This follows a string of other busts of illegal gambling conspiracies.
As The Gateway Pundit reported, two MLB pitchers were indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy after conspiring to rig “hundreds of fraudulent bets” on pitches they threw.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Indians, “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches,” according to the indictment, which was filed last Wednesday.
JUST IN: Two MLB Pitchers Indicted in Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy
The FBI also announced last month the arrest of more than 30 people across 11 states, including Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, after uncovering an illegal sports betting operation, tied to NBA stars and the La Cosa Nostra Italian Mafia.
This scheme also involved a rigged card games, allegedly using altered shuffling machines, X-ray tables to read cards face down, wireless devices, pre-marked cards, and chip tray analyzers.
The post JUST IN: Another Mob-Tied Sports Betting Ring Busted in New Jersey – Scheme Involves Gen-Z Gamblers, Highschool, and College Athletes (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.