Among the 14 people arrested Thursday for their alleged involvement in an illegal sports gambling ring were two former wrestlers at Rutgers University.

Nicholas Raimo, 25, and Michael Cetta, 23, were identified as alleged sub-agents of the ring that was allegedly operated by Joseph M. “Little Joe” Perna, identified as a member of the Lucchese crime family.

Raimo was a two-time state champion at Hanover Park High School and previously wrestled at Arizona State before transferring closer to home. He never competed as a Scarlet Knight, however, missing out on the 2021-22 season due to injury. He went 132-5 in his high school career, according to Arizona State’s website.

As for Cetta, he was ranked as high as 26th in the nation in the 149-pound class. He was an NCAA qualifier his junior year, when he racked up nine victories. In his college career, he went 40-27.

Both former wrestlers were charged with racketeering in the first degree, money laundering by promoting in the first degree, conspiracy in the second degree, promoting gambling by bookmaking in the third degree, and possession of gambling records in the third degree.

Rutgers University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Perna is being charged along with his sons, stepson, nephews and others with racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and gambling offenses. Perna’s wife and ex-wife are also being charged independently of the scheme.

Documents filed in the case allege that, in January 2024, members of the Port Investigations Unit of the State Police Port Security Section began investigating an illegal sports betting ring operating out of Essex and Bergen counties.

The scheme allegedly enticed individuals to place bets, and proceeds were used to operate the enterprise and enrich its members.

Between 2022 and 2024, the gambling ring reportedly transferred an estimated $2 million in suspected gambling transactions.

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The enterprise had “a nationwide web of bookmakers” who worked under Perna, a soldier in the Lucchese crime family.

“Perna acted as the ‘financier,’ who supported the operation,” the Office of the Attorney General said. “Perna’s son, Joseph R. Perna, 25, of Oakland, N.J., conducted the daily operations of the sportsbook, facilitating dozens of subordinate agents, including his brother, Anthony Perna, 23, of Oakland; his stepbrother, Frank Zito, 23, of Fairfield; and his cousins, Dominic Perna, 23, of Newark, N.J.; and Michael Cetta, 23, of North Haledon, N.J.”

First-degree crimes in the case carry a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years and a fine of up to $200,000. First-degree money laundering carries a $500,000 fine. Second- through fourth-degree charges also carry prison time.

Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.

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Saturday might have been an anticipated return to the Commonwealth for Brockton native AJ Dybantsa. 

But the BYU star and projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft didn’t exactly receive the warmest welcome on the parquet floor at TD Garden.

The Massachusetts product might have had plenty of family and friends at TD Garden for the 18-year-old forward’s first game back on Causeway Street since his days playing for St. Sebastian’s. 

But in a game against the No. 3-ranked UConn Huskies, Dybantsa and the No. 7 BYU Cougars were entering into enemy territory — with a majority of the Garden crowd donning Huskies gear. 

“Just coming in as a freshman — it’s like a new environment,” Dybantsa said. “I mean, I’ve played in NBA arenas before, but I haven’t played in one feeling like this. And obviously they brought a lot of fans and everything like that. So I just had to stay calm, stay poised.”

Be it a hostile crowd, initial jitters in his return to Massachusetts, or a daunting matchup against an imposing UConn roster, Dybantsa labored out of the gate in Saturday’s heavyweight bout in the Hall of Fame series. 

But not for long. 

After posting four points in the first half, Dybantsa helped turn a potential blowout for the Cougars into a nailbiter — finishing with 21 points over the final 20 minutes of play en route to an eventual 86-84 Huskies win. 

“That’s as high a level of shot-making as you’re going to see in college basketball,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said of Dybantsa, who closed the game with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds, and two steals. “I mean, that guy with the threes — he hasn’t been making threes at least to start the year, he’s been a rim guy. But he had the whole bag going tonight.”

Despite Dybantsa’s heroics down the stretch, it wasn’t enough to topple a UConn squad that built an early lead and did not relinquish it — despite several attempts from the Cougars to claw back. 

For all of the talk of Dybantsa’s return to Massachusetts, it was also a welcome homecoming for Huskies redshirt senior Alex Karaban — with the Southborough native standing as one of three UConn players to post 21 points to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and a block.

“I loved it,” Karaban said of playing at TD Garden. “I mean, I definitely had this game circled. … It was special. Some of my favorite games of my UConn career were the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games when we came here two years ago. So just being blessed to have the opportunity to come back here, play with another UConn squad was awesome. I loved every second of it.”

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“I mean, AJ deserves it,” Karaban added of the hype around Dybantsa. “He’s one hell of a player, just what he’s done for Boston. … He deserved the homecoming too.”

That praise wasn’t necessarily shared by a boisterous UConn crowd, especially during the opening 20 minutes of action. 

As his offensive game labored in the first half, Dybantsa was subject to jeers of “overrated!” as his shots continued to clang off the rim.

All it took was a couple of successful jumpers early in the second half to help the explosive forward start settling into a rhythm. Once Dybantsa’s shots from both midrange and beyond the arc started to fall, what was once a 20-point lead for the Huskies started to drain as Dybantsa’s confidence grew. 

Even though he didn’t shred UConn in transition, Dybantsa used his strong frame to drive to the rim in crunch time — drawing fouls and finishing through contact. 

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With Celtics Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in attendance, Dybantsa and the Cougars cut the lead all the way down to two points with under 30 seconds to go. 

But when handed a chance to take the lead, BYU’s Robert Wright III lost the handle on the ball — with UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. recovering the turnover to snuff out any hope of a Cougars comeback. 

Despite the setback for Dybantsa and BYU, Hurley doled out plenty of praise for the future NBA star — whose stock should continue to soar as this season continues. 

“Just the growth and his approach,” Hurley said of what has stood out about Dybantsa. “Sometimes you watch these kids, they come into college, these high draft picks, and it’s been over the course of years and years and years. You can see on film — the entitlement, the spoiled entitlement, the not guarding, the not being about the team. … I’m watching [his] evolution from game to game to tonight. 

“I mean, this guy’s out there guarding, he’s on the backboard, he’s communicating with his teammates, and he’s playing with a level of desperation to win the game.

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“For a guy that’s going to be maybe the number one pick —  it’s a little refreshing to see this guy and the mental toughness. I mean, his first half was a mess, and for him to be able to put that behind him back home and putting that second-half performance on was as good as you’ll see from a freshman.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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• The Bengals face the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time this regular season.
• The Bengals are looking for a season sweep of the Steelers after having won the first meeting 33-31 on Oct. 16.
• Joe Flacco will again start at quarterback for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 11 looking for a sweep on the season.

Cincinnati (3-6) beat the Steelers (5-4) 33-31 on Oct. 16 at Paycor Stadium.

Quarterback Joe Flacco won in his second start for the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase reset his own franchise record with 16 receptions on 23 targets in the game.

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Cincinnati is coming off its bye while Pittsburgh is coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here are the keys to victory for the Bengals in Week 11:

Follow the example the Chargers made

The Bengals didn’t register a sack or hit against the Steelers last month and quarterback Aaron Rodgers had plenty of time to carve up Cincinnati’s defense. Los Angeles registered five hits and three sacks on Rodgers on Nov. 9 en route to a 25-10 victory.

Cincinnati will be without defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, which means they’ll need to get creative in finding ways to get to Rodgers.

If the Bengals can’t pressure Rodgers and disrupt his timing, it’ll mean the offense will need an even bigger Herculean effort than the past two games where Cincinnati scored 80 points against the New York Jets and Chicago Bears and still lost.

Run the ball, control the clock and utilize play action

Winning a track meet is possible for the Bengals’ offense, but it’s best to avoid being in those positions, as they saw in the losses to the Jets and Bears.

Yes, Flacco and the offense can score from anywhere on the field, but it’d be best to control the game by running the ball and not forcing the defense to go back out on the field in less than two minutes in the second half.

Chase Brown needs to have a big game and keep the Bengals ahead of the sticks at Acrisure Stadium so Flacco isn’t having to throw the ball 50 times against what’s likely to be a different defensive look from the Steelers.

Zone busters for everyone

Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the Bengals’ Oct. 16 win and the Steelers played man coverage for the most part.

Expect the Steelers to move more to zone looks to limit big play potential for wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 16 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown and Higgins had six catches for 96 yards and a score.

This means Flacco will need to find the soft spots in the zone coverage via a variety of route concepts and possibly get Brown more involved catching the ball out of the backfield.