Northeast
Two former NCAA wrestlers among those arrested in alleged mafia-led New Jersey sports gambling ring
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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.
Michael Cetta is one of two former Rutgers wrestlers arrested Thursday. (Peter Ackerman/USA Today Network)
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.
Nicholas Raimo won two state titles attending Hanover Park High School. (Derik Hamilton/Imagn Images)
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.”
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights logo is shown on concrete before the game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Oregon Ducks at SHI Stadium on Oct. 18, 2025, in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Getty Images)
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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Aditi Kinkhabwala is just as confused about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation as much of its fan base. She sees the franchise, even with all its offseason changes, running in place for another year.
Appearing on Jason La Canfora’s podcast for the BigPlay network, Kinkhabwala has trouble sussing out Pittsburgh’s plan.
“So Mike McCarthy’s opening press conference is raving about Will Howard,” she told La Canfora. “Even Aaron Rogers is raving about Will Howard. But nope, we’re not gonna see Will Howard.
“Drew Allar, they used a third-round pick on him. At the combine, Drew Allar told me that no coach put him on the board more extensively or more thoroughly than Mike McCarthy did. Clearly, McCarthy has had some interest in Drew Allar for some time. Is intrigued by this young player…so you’ve now got two young guys that you claim, you feel so strongly about their potential, but you don’t wanna see either of them.”
Aaron Rodgers’ return closed the door on any chance of Howard or Allar seeing immediate playing time this regular season. Now, it’ll take a Rodgers’ injury or total collapse of the year for either, more likely Howard, to see the field. Pittsburgh could go through most of the season learning little about Howard and Allar, leaving the franchise in the dark for its 2027 quarterback decisions.
Pittsburgh believes Rodgers gives the team the best chance to win now. But that may only get the Steelers so far.
“You’re gonna try to back in the playoffs once again, potentially lose in the first round, pick in the twenties and not get a quarterback, and not know if you have a quarterback in Will Howard or Drew Allar. Run it back. Treadmill, hamster wheel.”
A valid and real concern. Pittsburgh has a roster good enough to win 9 or 10 games, but few anticipate a deep playoff run. It could leave the Steelers as stuck and stagnant as they were during Mike Tomlin’s final seasons.
Pittsburgh hopes to learn plenty about Howard and Allar this season. Bringing Rodgers in may also be an admission that neither young quarterback is ready. Neither have taken an in-stadium snap and Allar’s game needs plenty of work, as his bumpy OTA play reminded. But to Kinkhabwala’s point, the 2026 season might not shed much light on Pittsburgh’s best options going forward, which could lead to an offseason with more questions than answers.
Mainers may no longer be voting this November on a ballot question to restrict the rights of transgender students to access bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams aligning with their gender identity.
That’s because a state official determined that petitioners did not collect enough valid signatures, falling 500 short of the minimum required threshold to qualify for a citizen-led ballot initiative. Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien, who presided over a hearing last week to determine signature validity, is recommending to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office that more than 12,000 signatures that may have been collected improperly be invalidated, the office confirmed on May 21.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows will issue a final decision May 26.
The ballot initiative seeks to require sports teams and school facilities to be separated by biological sex as opposed to gender identity, is at odds with the Maine Human Rights Act.
Tim Woodcock, an attorney with Eaton Peabody representing the petition campaign, said they are reviewing the recommended decision closely. “We are continuing our defense of the Protect Girls Sports ballot measure and will be filing our objections to the recommended decision before the May 23 deadline,” Woodcock said.
The campaign’s signature gathering practices were cast into doubt when three challengers claimed that 7,900 signatures previously deemed valid by the Secretary of State’s Office should be disqualified in Superior Court. On April 24, Justice Deborah Cashman remanded the challenge to the Secretary of State’s Office for a final determination. Last week, McBrien and Assistant Attorney General Jon Bolton held an hours-long hearing during which both sides presented their arguments.
Over the course of the hearing, a pattern of negligence within the campaign emerged, with signature collectors admitting to leaving forms unattended, among other infractions.
“There were some significant areas of concern around the signature gathering practices here, and the rules exist to make sure that only a sufficient number of valid signatures are submitted,” said Ben Stafford, a partner in the national legal firm Elias Law Group representing the challengers of the “Protect Girls Sports” petition. “That didn’t happen here.”
McBrien sent her determination that 67,150 signatures were valid and 12,542 were invalid to both parties’ attorneys.
The number of signatures required to place the petition question on the November ballot is 67,682. The parties have until Saturday at midnight to respond.
How the signatures were deemed invalid
Much of the hearing focused on signature gatherers leaving petitions behind unattended, which several community members documented and attested to. It also called into question some campaign workers who failed to sign a circulator’s affidavit until months after the signatures were submitted to the secretary of state.
More than 3,800 signatures were deemed invalid by McBrien through the hearing process, including 1,037 due to unattended petitions and more than 2,300 due to a missing circulator’s affidavit.
“We think that those determinations are very well founded by both actual record that has been presented and bolstered at this point, and then the underlying legal standards,” Stafford said.
This story was first published by the Maine Morning Star and is republished here under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
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