Overview
- Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced the arrests and charges Thursday, with first appearances held and detention hearings to follow.
- Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna is accused of financing the enterprise while his son, Joseph R. Perna, allegedly ran daily operations with dozens of subordinate agents.
- The operation allegedly processed about $2 million in gambling transactions from 2022 to 2024 through offshore platforms and a network of local sportsbooks across the country.
- Charges include racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy and gambling offenses, with prosecutors saying the enterprise operated out of Essex and Bergen counties.
- Former Rutgers wrestlers Michael Cetta and Nicholas Raimo are among those charged, and filings cite 2023 payments to Perna’s wife and a 2025 attempt by his ex-wife to conceal gambling ledgers.