Dina Manzo's Ex-Husband Charged with Planning Assault of Her Current Husband (UPDATED)
The alleged assault on The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum's husband is said to have occurred in 2015.
UPDATE (JULY 1, 10:29 a.m.): Thomas Manzo pleaded not guilty to the charges during an appearance before a federal court via videoconference on Tuesday, June 30, as reported by Page Six.
Thomas Manzo was given $100,000 bail by federal judge Cathy L. Waldor. If he makes bail, he will be under supervision and must surrender his passports and travel documents, Page Six reports.
Perna was also arraigned on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. He was given the same bail conditions as Thomas Manzo, but he will also be under 24-hour supervision and home incarceration with electronic monitoring.
The original story continues below.
Dina Manzo's ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, was arrested on Tuesday, June 30 on charges of planning and carrying out an assault on her current husband, Dave Cantin, in exchange for a lavish wedding reception, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Thomas Manzo, along with John Perna, a soldier in the Lucchese Crime Family, were each charged with committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Thomas Manzo was also charged with falsifying and concealing records related to the federal investigation of the violent crime, and Perna was indicted with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud related to the submission of a false car insurance claim.
Thomas Manzo is alleged to have hired Perna to assault Dina's then-boyfriend, Dave, in exchange for a deeply discounted wedding reception for Perna at The Brownstone, of which Thomas Manzo is one of the owners, along with his brother, Al Manzo, the husband of Dina's sister and fellow The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Caroline Manzo. The indictment alleges that Thomas Manzo provided personal information about Dave to Perna, including his residence, business addresses, and vehicle, to help locate him to assault him.
The documents filed in this case claim that Perna worked with his associates to plan and carry out the assault, which took place in July 2015. Perna and his accomplice allegedly located Dave and his vehicle and followed him to a strip mall parking lot in Passaic County, New Jersey, where he was said to have been assaulted with a slap jack.
Perna's wedding and reception was held at The Brownstone in August 2015 and was paid for by another Lucchese associate and close friend of Thomas Manzo's, according to the indictment.
Federal grand jury subpoenas were sent to The Brownstone seeking documents related to Perna's wedding. The authorities say that Thomas Manzo failed to turn over relevant documents in response to those subpoenas and deliberately submitted a false document regarding the wedding reception to the government, along with a false certification. The FBI executed a search warrant at The Brownstone and seized invoices for Perna's wedding and other relevant documents that had not been turned over previously.
Thomas Manzo's attorney, Michael Critchley, told NJ.com that the allegations "will be proven to be absolutely and totally false as it relates to Thomas Manzo."
Thomas Manzo and Perna will appear in federal court via videoconference on June 30.
