Manzo employed John Perna, a “soldier” from the Lucchese crime household, to assault and injure Dina’s then-boyfriend (now-husband), Dave Cantin, U.S. Lawyer Philip R. Sellinger stated in an announcement. Manzo gave Perna a free wedding ceremony reception at a venue he owned in change for the assault, then hid and falsified paperwork associated to a federal investigation into the assault, Sellinger stated.
“The info and circumstances on this case learn like one thing from a foul TV crime drama, however the proof and testimony introduced in courtroom show it was actuality,” James E. Dennehy, particular agent in cost for FBI’s workplace in Newark, stated in an announcement. “We really hope the victims on this investigation are in a position to transfer on with their lives and overlook about Manzo and his prison mafia bedfellows.”
Manzo’s attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Zach Intrater, didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Dina and Thomas married within the mid-2000s, in a marriage proven on a VH1 actuality present. They remained collectively for a lot of Dina’s run on “Actual Housewives of New Jersey,” the place she was a foremost solid member for the primary two seasons, in 2009 and 2010, and returned in Seasons 4 and 6.
Dina was one of many early stars of “RHONJ,” showing along with her sister, Caroline Manzo (who married Thomas’s brother), her rescue pet and her cat. Outdoors of the present, Dina’s loyal fan base received her an HGTV present, “Dina’s Party,” the place she deliberate events in her shoppers’ properties, which lasted for 2 seasons and impressed a book.
Dina introduced her breakup on Twitter in early 2013. “My secret…I’ve been separated since October, my coronary heart hurts however Tommy & I’ll at all times share a really particular love,” she wrote. She returned for yet another season of “Actual Housewives,” in 2014, as a soon-to-be divorcée. “There was this entire dream, I couldn’t wait to have a child with him,” she confides within the first episode of Season 6. “I really feel, like, nearly alone.”
It’s unclear precisely when Dina met Dave Cantin, however in line with the lawyer’s workplace, the 2 had been courting as of July 18, 2015, when her new beau was adopted to a New Jersey strip mall by her ex, Thomas, and his mafia-linked affiliate, Perna.
Perna, with assist from a member of his crew, used a “slapjack” weapon to assault Dave within the parking zone, authorities stated.
One month later, Manzo allegedly rewarded Perna with a lavish wedding ceremony ceremony — reportedly on the Brownstone, a high-end catering corridor and wedding ceremony venue owned by Manzo. The reception included greater than 330 company, together with members of the crime household, according to the attorney’s office.
Manzo was arrested for the assault in 2020 and pleaded not guilty. Perna, the attacker and a “made” member inside the crime household, in line with indictment, pleaded guilty in December of that yr to the assault and was sentenced six months later to 30 months in jail.
Manzo now faces a most sentence of greater than 40 years in jail, in addition to as much as $500,000 in fines between the three counts. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 15.
He’s additionally awaiting trial for a second assault on the Cantins, which he allegedly participated in two years after the mall beating.
Manzo was accused of appearing as an confederate in an invasion of Dina and Dave’s townhouse in Holmdel, N.J., in 2017, shortly earlier than they married. When authorities responded to a 911 name, they discovered the couple, having damaged away from zip-ties, in line with NBC New York. They’d reportedly been attacked with a baseball bat, and Dina instructed investigators {that a} suspect had stolen her engagement ring from her finger.
