Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), and the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) tannounced that 39 people including a Prospect Park councilman and members of the Lucchese Crime Family have been charged with racketeering, gambling offenses, money laundering, and other crimes, after law enforcement executed search warrants at 12 locations throughout North Jersey earlier this week.

Following a two-year investigation into illegal gambling activities tied to the Lucchese Crime Family, searches were conducted on April 9, 2025, on four poker clubs located in Totowa, Garfield, and Woodland Park, including two clubs where backroom poker games were hidden behind functioning restaurants; a business in Paterson storing gambling machines; and seven residences of individuals alleged to be managing the gambling activities.

A Prospect Park council member and local business owner – Anand Shah, 42, of Prospect Park, New Jersey – was identified as allegedly managing illegal poker games and an online sportsbook in association with the Lucchese Crime Family. The investigation uncovered additional poker clubs, the involvement of dozens of individuals alleged to have hosted poker games and worked at the poker clubs, and managed bettors on an illegal online sportsbook.

The upper management of the gambling enterprise allegedly oversaw the gambling activities and received a portion of the criminal proceeds. The investigation resulted in the identification of more than $3 million in suspected criminal proceeds. Members of the criminal enterprise used multiple shell corporations and functioning businesses to conceal their illegal gambling proceeds.

The high-level managers of the criminal enterprise who were charged, many of whom are allegedly members of the Lucchese Crime Family, include George Zappola, 65, of Red Bank, New Jersey; Joseph R. “Big Joe” Perna, 56, of Belleville, New Jersey; John Perna, 47, of Little Falls, New Jersey; and Wayne Cross, 75, of Spring Lake, New Jersey. They are charged with first-degree racketeering and second-degree conspiracy to promote gambling and money laundering, among other crimes.

“Romanticized versions of organized crime have been the subject of countless movies and television shows, often set right here in the Garden State,” said Attorney General Platkin. “But the reality isn’t romantic or cinematic. It’s about breaking the laws the rest of us follow and, ultimately, it’s about money, control, and the threat of violence. My office is bringing every resource available to crack down on violent criminals – including organized crime – and will root it out in all of its forms. And that is exactly what we have done.”

“In the complaint we’re announcing today, we allege that members and associates of the Lucchese Crime Family operated illegal card games and sports betting books in northern New Jersey,” said DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton. “This can lead to other criminal activity, such as money laundering and theft. Two of the defendants are charged with stealing from local retailers in addition to their roles in the gambling operation. These are not so-called ‘victimless’ crimes, and we take seriously our responsibility to root out these illegal enterprises.”

“Criminal enterprises like this pose a serious threat to the safety and well-being of our communities, driving illegal gambling, money laundering, and racketeering operations that value profit over people,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “Thanks to our detectives’ tireless work and unwavering commitment, this operation was successfully dismantled — sending a strong message that we will not tolerate this kind of criminal activity in New Jersey.”

According to the complaint, the gambling operations included social clubs that housed live poker games and gambling machines, as well as an extensive online sportsbook operated through several websites based outside of the United States. Each poker club was operated by high-level managers that delegated day-to-day operations to managers who were present during poker games.

Managers collected monetary dues, called “rent,” from poker hosts for permitting the games to occur and oversaw employees who worked in the clubs. Poker hosts were responsible for recruiting their own players, supplying food and drink for the games, and financially staking the game. The host, commonly known as the “house,” made a profit off the games because the dealer took a percentage of the monies bet by the players as a profit for the house for each hand played (a “rake”). The dealers were either paid by the hosts or were working off prior gambling debts owed to the hosts of the game. The clubs also housed gambling machines that players could use while waiting for a seat at a live poker game.

The online sportsbook was operated by “agents” — who, before the advent of computerized betting, would have been known as “bookies” – that created accounts on sports gambling websites based in foreign countries. These agents managed “packages” – groups of individual bettors. Sub-agents and agents were responsible for the gambling winnings and losses of bettors in their packages and kicked up a portion of the criminal proceeds to the high-level management of the enterprise.