5 Bergen County Residents Charged In Mob-Connected NJ Betting Ring, Says Attorney General

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Five Bergen County residents have been arrested in connection with a probe of a mob-connected betting ring, state prosecutors said Thursday.

Fourteen people overall were charged in connection with the ring, based in Bergen and Essex counties, said the New Jersey Attorney General's Office on Thursday. READ MORE: Family-Led, Mob-Connected Gambling Ring Used NJ Student Athletes As ‘Agents,’ Prosecutors Say

Among those arrested was the alleged leader of the betting operation, Joseph M. Perna, 55, of Fairfield, said state officials.

Five of those arrested were from Bergen County, said the state.

The ring included several of Perna’s family members and student athletes who operated sportsbooks, authorities said.

rosecutors said the operation was involved in as much as $2 million in suspected gambling transactions between 2022 and 2024.

They also said they believe Joseph M. Perna is a "solider" in the New York City-based Lucchese crime family.

Prosecutors said that Pera's son, Joseph R. Perna, 25, of Oakland, conducted the daily operations of the sportsbook, overseeing dozens of agents under him, including several family members who were arrested as well.

They included Joseph's brother, Anthony Perna, 23, of Oakland, his stepbrother, Frank Zito, 23, of Fairfield, and his cousins, Dominic Perna, 23, of Newark and Michael Cetta, 23, of North Haledon, officials said.

Officials arrested other alleged “high-level agents” who managed their own books within the operation: Tyler Schnorrbusch, 23, of Wyckoff, Nicholas Raimo, 25, of East Hanover, Joseph Janish, 23, of North Caldwell, Spencer Speziale, 22, of Wyckoff, William Medeiros, 22, of North Kingstown, R.I., and Devon Shuster, 28, of Gainesville, Fla.

Perna's ex-wife and wife were charged with other crimes, officials said.

Prosecutors said that in April, Rosanna Magno, 52, of Oakland – Joseph M. Perna’s ex-wife, mother of Joseph R. and Anthony Perna and aunt of Michael Cetta – allegedly attempted to conceal gambling ledgers from police during an investigation.

And in late 2023, Perna’s wife and Frank Zito’s mother, Kim Zito, 53, of Fairfield, allegedly received payments from conspirators of Frank Zito that were derived from illegal gambling. See a full list of defendants and charges here.

“Despite the proliferation of legal betting of all kinds, gambling remains a mainstay of members and associates of organized crime,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.

He added, “The locations and methods may have evolved, but illegal gambling – in this case, sports betting – remains a problem."

Sports betting made national news recently after Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz pleaded not guilty to charges that he rigged pitches as part of a national sports betting ring.

READ MORE: Family-Led, Mob-Connected Gambling Ring Used NJ Student Athletes As ‘Agents,’ Prosecutors Say

Patch Editor Eric Kiefer contributed reporting for this story.