Ralph V. Perna a reputed captain in the Lucchese crime family and his two sons also reputed Lucchese family mobsters were sentenced to between 8 and 10 years in prison as part of a plea agreement.
Ralph now 69 was sentenced to 8 years behind bars and his sons, Joseph Perna and John Perna were each sentenced to 10 years in state prison. The trio of alleged mobsters plead guilty back in June and were among six major defendants in the 2010 indictment. Three other defendants also alleged high ranking New York mafia members which included Matthew Madonna, John Mangrella, and Martin Taccetta have all been previously sentenced.
“Ralph Perna“
In total 34 defendants were charged in the 2010 indictment, which uncovered an illegal gambling ring which, according to the feds transacted approximately $2.2 billion dollars in wagers in a 15 month period. The wagers placed were primarily on sporting events using a password protected web site along with a wire room in Costa Rica. According to court records the Perna’s managed the day to day operations of the gambling operation for the mafia under the supervision of Ralph Perna a former top capo for the Lucchese family operations in New Jersey.
The plea agreement called for all three Perna’s to receive “flat” sentences which would allow for possible early release and parole. But court officials acknowledged that all three defendants had lengthy prior criminal records which will delay any parole possibilities. A third Perna son Ralph M. Perna still has charges pending.
