New Jersey law enforcement officials on Thursday accused a man they said was a Mafia member of directing a multimillion dollar criminal sports betting ring that involved student athletes running their own illegal sports books.
Authorities said that Joseph M. (Little Joe) Perna, who they said was part of the Lucchese family, financed the operation, which they said had support from several relatives. In all, prosecutors charged 14 people in the case.
The New Jersey attorney general, Matthew J. Platkin, said at a news conference that the operation had taken place despite the fact that sports gambling was legal in the state.
“Organized crime families seem to have a hard time breaking this old habit, so we’re going to break it for them,” he said.
