TRENTON (AP) — A New York mob boss and a top New Jersey mobster are among six organized crime family figures who have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an investigation of an international gambling enterprise.

(L-R) John Perna, Ralph Perna
(L-R) John Perna, Ralph Perna (New Jersey Office of the Attorney General)
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The New Jersey attorney general's office says all are members of the Lucchese crime family and they pleaded guilty to racketeering charges on Wednesday.

Authorities say 80-year-old Matthew Madonna of Seldon, New York, who is a member of the three-man panel that rules the crime family, faces up to 5 years in prison.

Authorities say the man who lead the family's New Jersey faction, 69-year-old Ralph Perna of East Hanover, will be sentenced to 8 years in prison under terms of a plea agreement.

The defendants were charged in 2007 after investigators targeted an international criminal gambling enterprise that they say handled billions of dollars in wagers, primarily on sporting events.

 

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