The ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Dina Manzo is facing more than 40 years in prison after being convicted Tuesday of hiring a gang to beat up his ex-girlfriend’s new lover.
Federal prosecutors said Tommy Manzo, a prominent restaurateur from the upscale New Jersey neighborhood of Franklin Lakes, planned the 2015 attack on Dina’s current husband, David Cantin, and hired alleged mob members of the Lucchese crime family to carry out the attack.
In return, Manzo, 59, promised his recruits a free wedding at his catering business, The Brownstone, in Paterson, New Jersey, according to federal agents.
Following a two-week trial in Newark federal court, Manzo was convicted of committing a violent crime in aid of organized crime, conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of organized crime resulting in serious injury, and concealment of documents related to a federal investigation, federal authorities announced in a press release.
Combined, the charges could mean he faces up to 43 years in prison.
“The facts and circumstances of this case are like something from a bad TV crime drama, but the evidence and testimony presented in court prove them to be real,” FBI Newark Field Director James E. Dennehy said in a statement.
“We sincerely hope that the victims of this investigation can move forward with their lives and forget about Manzo and his criminal mafia associates.”
In addition to prison time, Manzo could face fines of up to $500,000, according to federal authorities.
The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on October 15th.
Manzo’s attorney, Zach Intrater, declined to comment Tuesday afternoon.
The guilty verdict closes Manzo’s marathon case, which began with a federal indictment against him in 2020 for an assault that allegedly occurred about five years ago.
Mr. Manzo (whose family had owned the brownstone since the 1970s) offered Cedar Grove, New Jersey, mob boss John Perna a deeply discounted wedding in exchange for assaulting Mr. Cantin.
“Manzo was enraged that his ex-wife had become romantically involved with another man,” prosecutors said in court documents. “Rather than accept it, as law-abiding people would, Manzo sought physical revenge. Lacking the will or ability to exact revenge directly, he turned to the catering hall.”
Federal agents say Perna and a co-worker grabbed Cantin in the parking lot of a Passaic County mall in July 2015 and beat him with a slapjack gun.
The brutal attack left Cantin battered and bruised, according to court documents.
Perna, the son of former Mafia boss Ralph Perna, later pleaded guilty to committing acts of violence in furtherance of organized crime and was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.
He was released last August, according to prison records.
Meanwhile, Manzo’s trial has been moving at an extremely slow pace and he remains free on bail.
Earlier this year, a federal judge dismissed the first set of charges, saying prosecutors took too long to bring them to trial.
But authorities quickly reindicted him, and the long-dormant case finally began to move forward: His trial finally began on May 20.
“The jury unanimously found that Manzo committed multiple crimes, including offering a free wedding in exchange for assault and then concealing documentation of that wedding,” U.S. Attorney Philip Selinger said in a statement.
“He will now receive the just punishment for the crimes he has committed.”
Manzo and Dina married in 2005 in a lavish ceremony that was featured on the VH1 reality show, “My Big Fabulous Wedding.”
However, the couple split in 2012 amid allegations of infidelity on his part, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Kim DePaola told The Washington Post in 2020. However, the couple didn’t officially divorce until 2016.
