Prosecutors announced charges against 39 people Friday after an investigation into an alleged illegal gambling operation led by the Lucchese crime family.
The defendants are accused of profiting more than $3 million via illegal poker games, sports betting, and gambling machines. The state charged defendants with racketeering, gambling offenses, money laundering, and other crimes.
Among those arrested was Prospect Park Councilman Anand Shah, a Democratic councilmember up for re-election this year who was also charged with maintaining a gambling establishment and engaging in wrongful credit practices. The New Jersey Globe reported Shah’s arrest on Wednesday.
Prosecutors also charged four people they allege are members of the Lucchese crime family: Lucchese ruling panel member George J. Zappola, captain Joseph R. Perna, soldier John G. Perna, and soldier Wayne D. Cross.
“Romanticized versions of organized crime have been the subject of countless movies and television shows, often set right here in the Garden State,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said during a Friday press conference. “But the reality of organized crime isn’t romantic or cinematic. It’s about breaking the laws that the rest of us follow, and ultimately it’s about money, control, and the threat of violence.”
Investigators said they uncovered poker rooms in Totowa, Garfield, and Woodland Park, including some hidden behind functioning restaurants. They also said a business in Paterson stored gambling machines.
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Pat Callahan said the investigation is two years in the making.
“[It’s] evidence that illegal gambling and money laundering still serve as a major source of income for these criminal enterprises,” Callahan said.
An attorney for one defendant did not immediately return a request for comment.
The defendants made initial court appearances on Thursday in Morris County Superior Court.
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