The ex-husband of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Dina Manzo was arrested while awaiting trial on charges that he hired a gang member to assault his current spouse, according to federal court documents. He was released on bail.
New Jersey restaurateur Tommy Manzo recently posted $100,000 bail ahead of his extortion trial in May, according to court documents.
Newark federal Judge Susan Widgenton on March 26 ruled that as part of a bail agreement, he would have to surrender his passport and be prohibited from traveling outside of New Jersey and New York until his case is decided.
Manzo’s trial is scheduled to begin on May 20, the jurist said.
Federal authorities say Manzo recruited members of the Lucchese crime family to assault David Cantin, Dina Manzo’s then-boyfriend and now-husband, in 2015.
In return, Manzo promised alleged mob leader John Perna a deeply discounted wedding at his catering hall, The Brownstone, in Paterson, New Jersey, according to federal authorities. It is said that he did.
Perna and a colleague caught Cantin in July 2015 and accused him of slapping him in the parking lot of a North Jersey strip mall. The brutal attack left Cantin devastated and disfigured, according to court documents.
Five years later, the two were arrested and charged with the crime.
Mr. Perna, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to assisting in a racketeering operation and committing a violent crime and was sentenced to nearly three years in prison. His colleagues appear to have never been brought to trial.
Perna was released in August, according to prison records.
Mr. Manzo’s case took an increasingly rocky path, with stops and starts, culminating in Mr. Widgenton’s dismissal of the case without prejudice earlier this year for violating his right to a speedy trial. Ta.
And last month, federal authorities re-indicted Manzo on the same charges. The charges include one count each of supporting a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity, conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, and falsifying and concealing records in connection with a federal investigation.
In Monmouth County, New Jersey, he and another man allegedly broke into the home of Dave and Dina in Holmdel, New Jersey, assaulted the husband, including hitting them with a baseball bat, and then robbed the husband in May 2017. State charges are also still pending.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for April 29, a state prosecutor told the Post.
Manzo married Dina in 2005, but the couple separated in 2012 over allegations of infidelity.
They did not officially divorce until 2016.
