Just when he thought he was out of court, they might drag him back in.
The extortion case against Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo’s ex-husband has been dismissed, but he will likely be re-indicted on “very serious” mob-related crimes.
Tommy Manzo was accused of hiring soldiers from the Lucchese crime family to assault his famous ex-wife’s new mistress, but his lawyer said in January that the years-old case had gotten too long and the federal government had filed a lawsuit against him. He applied for dismissal for violating the Speedy Act. Court law.
Federal authorities agreed, but in their own filing, Newark federal judge Susan Widgenton asked for bias so that the troubled 58-year-old from the upscale suburb of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, could be re-indicted. He asked that the lawsuit be dismissed.
And that’s exactly what the judge did late last month, ordering the case thrown out on February 22nd but with the condition that prosecutors secure a new grand jury indictment by then. He was allowed to continue firing during the trial.
“The crimes charged are undoubtedly serious,” Wigenton wrote, adding that the breadth of the charges and the substantial prison sentence Manzo faces favors the prosecution.
Still, Manzo’s lawyer welcomed the ruling.
“Mr. Manzo is pleased that the court dismissed the charges,” defense attorney Zach Intrater said in a statement. “He’s trying to move forward with his life and career.”
A spokeswoman for the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.
The Widgenton decision comes after federal authorities indicted Manzo in 2020 for allegedly contracting with mob capo John Perna to beat up Dina Manzo’s then-boyfriend, David Cantin. This is the latest development in a years-long legal battle.
In return, the restaurateur promised Perna, the son of Lucchese’s famous capo Ralph Perna, a deeply discounted wedding at Manzo’s catering hall, The Brownstone, in Paterso. .
“Mr. Manzo was furious that his ex-wife had started a romantic relationship with another man,” prosecutors said in court documents. “Rather than accept it like a law-abiding individual, Manzo wanted to take physical revenge. Unwilling and unable to do so directly, he turned the catering hall into a I used it.”
Perna and his crew caught up with Cantin in a North Jersey strip mall parking lot in July 2015, slapped him and cornered him, leaving the hapless entrepreneur beaten and bruised, court documents state. .
Legal experts told the Post that while it likely would not be difficult for federal prosecutors to secure new indictments, delays could be a problem, especially when it comes to witness testimony needed to testify before a second grand jury. He said that this could have a negative impact on litigation. .
“Witnesses become unavailable, they move, they retire, and in older people, they may have memory problems anyway,” said Laura Sutnick, a New Jersey criminal defense attorney and former Brooklyn prosecutor. he recently told The Post. interview.
“When you move away from a situation, you remember less and less,” she continued. “And what makes a criminal case powerful is when witnesses can give details, because the details have the ring of truth.”
It could also give defense attorneys an opportunity to unravel inconsistencies in the stories presented by witnesses — people often describe events differently the second time, she added. Ta.
“That could also affect the strength of the government’s case,” Sutnick said.
Perna was sentenced to approximately three years in prison in June 2021 after pleading guilty to committing violent crimes in support of extortion activities. He was released last August.
Manzo is charged with racketeering, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting the falsification and concealment of records related to a federal investigation to commit a crime of violence.
But even though he is free on bail, he lives under imminent fear of a federal lawsuit. So does a pending state charge in Monmouth County that alleges he and another man broke into Dave and Dina’s home in Holmdel, New Jersey, and beat them. Before robbing Bats in May 2017.
The next hearing in the case is April 29, state prosecutors told the Post.
Manzo married Dina in 2005 in an extravagant ceremony, which was chronicled on the VH1 reality series “My Big Fabulous Wedding.”
But they broke up in 2012 over his alleged infidelity, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Kim DePaola told The Post in 2020. However, the couple did not officially divorce until 2016.
