College Athletes Allegedly Involved in $2M Illegal Sports Betting Ring

College athletes were allegedly involved in a multimillion-dollar sports betting ring with links to organized crime, according to New Jersey law enforcement authorities.

On Thursday, 14 people were charged for an array of crimes, including racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy, and gambling offenses related to the gambling ring, according to a joint announcement made by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), and the New Jersey State Police.

Joseph M. Perna, a 55-year-old “soldier” of the Lucchese crime family, allegedly ran a group of bookmakers who “enticed individuals to place bets, and the illicit proceeds were used to operate the enterprise and enrich the enterprise members,” authorities said. Between 2022 and 2024, about $2 million ran through the system.

Perna’s sons, stepson, nephews, and others were also involved and charged Thursday.

College athletes operated sportsbooks for the gambling ring, according to authorities. However, the identities of the athletes, as well as the number of involved athletes, are unknown at this time. A spokesperson for the New Jersey AG’s office did not immediately respond to an FOS inquiry.

“We may all think that the portrayal of organized crime we remember from movies and television shows and books no longer exists, but we are announcing charges today that allege it still does,” New Jersey attorney general Matthew Platkin said in a statement. “Despite the proliferation of legal betting of all kinds, gambling remains a mainstay of members and associates of organized crime. The locations and methods may have evolved, but illegal gambling – in this case, sports betting – remains a problem, and we will charge those who seek to profit from it.”

The news comes less than a month after dozens of arrests were made in a widespread probe into illegal sports betting activity and rigged poker games—also involving the Lucchese crime family, as well as other Italian mafia families—that implicated current and former NBA players and coaches. 

No arrests have been made specifically regarding sports betting activity in college sports, though there is a probe being run out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

An NCAA spokesperson told FOS the NCAA is aware of the situation and is looking into it.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has announced investigations into at least 30 current and former men’s basketball players; former players at Fresno State, San Jose State, the University of New Orleans, Mississippi Valley, and Arizona State have so far all been found by NCAA investigations to have committed sports betting violations.