2TRENTON, NJ – Fourteen individuals have been charged for their alleged roles in an organized crime-linked multimillion-dollar sports betting operation that investigators say spanned multiple states and was led by a member of the Lucchese crime family.

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced the charges Thursday alongside the Division of Criminal Justice and the New Jersey State Police following a months-long investigation into the illegal enterprise.

Authorities identified 55-year-old Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna of Fairfield as the alleged leader and financier of the operation, which is accused of handling more than $2 million in illicit gambling transactions between 2022 and 2024.

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Fourteen people charged in a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring linked to organi

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