The Perna Family

[HoagieNose]

Anyone know any details about the Perna family branch of the Lucchese family?

Are they just bookmakers or are they a hardcore mafia family?

[outfit guy]

One brother that came up in the 70s and released after 20 years in federal prison is a hard core gangster. I define hard core gangster as committing homicides. And he allegedly committed several in public. The others, just reading the indictments, are bookmakers; like many so-called gangsters.

[NJShore4Life]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

[HoagieNose]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

[outfit guy]

I'm speaking of the uncle that pled to upwards a dozen murder conspiracies. I don't consider brawler a gangster.

[SonnyBlackstein]

Where’s Joe DiNapoli at?

[stubbs]

You can read a little about Michael Perna here, the author Seth Ferrante was in prison with him. But be warned the formatting on that site is atrocious.

[Rocco]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

[TallGuy19]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

I can understand a made guy participating in a murder, but beating people up seems like something that should be handled by associates. The Pernas are wealthy and powerful enough that beating people up seems beneath them.

[dack2001]

"Beating up people seems beneath them"....you really need to consider the absurdity of what you just wrote.

[HoagieNose]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

Then and now. Way different times. A public beating like the one John got pinched on is rarely done by made guys anymore. Something for an associate to be doing. Too much heat on them for that.

[NJShore4Life]

One of my friends who is 7 years older than me went to Seton Hall with Johnny and I got to know him a little bit when I was in my 20s through my friend, so they were in their late 20s/early 30s at the time.

Also, as a bit of a background there was basically a Mafia Farm League Crew of the sons of made guys, associates, and wannabees during that time period running around at Seton Hall bookmaking, throwing raves, and selling drugs (ecstacy was extremely popular at the time), I have said this before but I suspect that David Chase based Carlo and Patsy's kids college kids crew at a college in NJ they had with AJ in The Sopranos on the scene at Seton Hall in the late 1990s/very early 2000s. As a matter of fact, the tragic Seton Hall dorm fire was actually solved by mob informants who were brought into the fold via Tommy Ricciardi who assisted the government against the kids who started the fatal fire.

Anyways back to my point - Knowing Johnny and what he was all about , I bet he enthusiastically volunteered to administer the alleged beating the government alleges he participated in. The guy was an All-State wrestler and went on to college on a full NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Scholarship, he absolutely loved brawling in his younger days. He is one tough mother fucker, I dont consider myself a pussy and I wouldnt ever in a million years ever attempt to piss off Johnny.

-Dante

[JeremyTheJew]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

Then and now. Way different times. A public beating like the one John got pinched on is rarely done by made guys anymore. Something for an associate to be doing. Too much heat on them for that.

Absolutely.

How someone can argue that being a idiot and doing dirty work IN PUBLIC .... bc there gangsters... I dont know.

But yes, I understand made members having anger issues and violence happening. But the whole point of having the hierarchy is so the higher ranks (and a made man is very high when looking at the street view.... theres probably 2 to 3 "tiers" of associates below the made members) dont have to commit crimes that are easily prosecuted.

All that being said.

Iv been seeing Pernas name on these forums for the last few years now.
But its allways been about how tough they were/are rather then how smart they were... and I cant even really think of many money rackets that were big that perna runs?? Could be wrong tho.

Also I don't think iv seen much said about leadership positions either... it's the Snr and Jnr and brother to the Snr right?

[Rocco]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

Then and now. Way different times. A public beating like the one John got pinched on is rarely done by made guys anymore. Something for an associate to be doing. Too much heat on them for that.

That is 100% false. Even more so now since associates that don't flip these days are even harder to come by.

[Rocco]

Johnny is as tough as they come, crazy dude in his younger years.

Crazy but he shouldn’t have been beating up guys anymore being a made guy. Seems reckless. Maybe he just enjoyed doing that type of stuff haha

What makes you say since he is a made he cant be beating guys up? His fathers generation of made guys did just that. They even killed a guy with a gold club while being made.

Then and now. Way different times. A public beating like the one John got pinched on is rarely done by made guys anymore. Something for an associate to be doing. Too much heat on them for that.

Absolutely.

How someone can argue that being a idiot and doing dirty work IN PUBLIC .... bc there gangsters... I dont know.

But yes, I understand made members having anger issues and violence happening. But the whole point of having the hierarchy is so the higher ranks (and a made man is very high when looking at the street view.... theres probably 2 to 3 "tiers" of associates below the made members) dont have to commit crimes that are easily prosecuted.

All that being said.

Iv been seeing Pernas name on these forums for the last few years now.
But its allways been about how tough they were/are rather then how smart they were... and I cant even really think of many money rackets that were big that perna runs?? Could be wrong tho.

Also I don't think iv seen much said about leadership positions either... it's the Snr and Jnr and brother to the Snr right?

I know all of them Except John who was a toddler when I knew that family (they lived a block down from my cousin in Belleville). None of them walk around as tough guys and none of them are big or threatening looking guys. If you even met Ralph Sr you would never know in a million yrs that he was involved in LCN. He is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet same goes for his wife who is a sweetheart. Ralph Jr is a great guy . And Joey is a nice guy as well. Nothing threatening about them what so ever. None of them are big guys either. Joey hasn't seen a gym in 25yrs lol If you are not involved in illegal rackets with them(like the car dealer who got smacked around) and are not screwing them over.. you got nothing to worry about with them guys. Press has a field day with anything LCN. And these guys are probably the last generation to be involved in LCN.