A jury on Tuesday found the ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Dina Cantin, formerly Dina Manzo, guilty of plotting an assault on his ex-wife’s then-boyfriend in exchange for a free wedding celebration, according to the Justice Department.
After a two-and-a-half-week trial in Newark, the jury found Thomas Manzo, 59, guilty of three felonies, including racketeering.
Related posts
In 2015, it came to light that Manzo had paid John Perna to assault Dina Cantin’s ex-boyfriend-now-husband. In 2021, a jury found Perna guilty of assault.
Manzo then threw a lavish wedding celebration for free at his catering hall, The Brownstone, in Paterson, New Jersey, following the July 18, 2015 attack, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.
When law enforcement began investigating the incident, the jury determined that Manzo withheld and forged papers in response to a grand jury request.
According to court records, Manzo was “upset” over his ex-wife’s new relationship and intended for the attack to “leave a permanent facial scar.”
“The facts and circumstances in this case read like something from a bad TV crime drama, but the evidence and testimony presented in court proved it was reality,” FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Jim Dennehy said in a statement. “We truly hope the victims in this investigation are able to move on with their lives and forget about Manzo and his criminal mafia bedfellows.”
Sentencing is planned for October 15.
Manzo faces a maximum 20-year sentence for each of the three felony counts: one count of committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, one count of conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering resulting in serious bodily injury, and one count of falsifying and concealing documents related to a federal investigation.
The VH1 show “My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding” featured Manzo and Cantin’s 2007 wedding at the same location. Cantin was on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” from 2009 to 2010, then again in 2014. The couple split in 2012 and divorced in 2016. Cantin got married to her current husband, David Cantin, in 2017.
The 2015 assault is unrelated to the 2017 burglary involving Cantin and her then-fiance.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey sentenced Perna to two years in federal prison for the assault in 2021. He was also required to pay $17,816 in restitution.
