The alleged assault occurred in 2015, prosecutors said.
The former husband of a “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, Thomas Manzo, allegedly hired a gangster from the Lucchese family to attack the current husband of the reality star, federal prosecutors in Newark charged Tuesday.
Manzo allegedly hired John Perna in 2015 to commit a “violent assault” against his ex-wife’s boyfriend, Dina Cantin (ex-Dina Manzo), in exchange for a free or “heavily discounted” wedding reception in the food hall Manzo’s Brownstone Restaurant in Paterson, New Jersey, according to court documents.
Manzo was “upset” about his ex-wife’s new relationship and wanted the assault “to leave a permanent facial scar,” according to court records.
Perna, who was identified in the indictment as a member of the Lucchese crime family, also allegedly agreed to commit the assault to “maintain and improve” his position within the company, according to court documents.
Manzo, 55, of Franklin Lakes, NJ, and Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, NJ, were arrested Tuesday and charged with committing a violent crime in aid of organized crime and conspiracy to committing a violent crime for the benefit of organized crime. exercise.
Manzo was also charged with falsifying and concealing records related to the federal investigation of the alleged assault.
Perna allegedly assaulted Cantin’s boyfriend in July 2015 in a mall parking lot in Passaic County using a “slap jack” with “the intent to inflict serious permanent injury,” according to court records.
The following month, Manzo’s venue hosted a “luxurious” wedding for Perna, attended by some 330 guests, including “many members of the Lucchese crime family,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.
The indictment alleges that in August 2019, Manzo falsified Perna’s wedding bill and failed to provide records to investigators in response to a subpoena “with the intent to impede, obstruct, and influence” an FBI investigation. In November 2019, FBI agents confiscated bills for Perna’s wedding reception, the United States Attorney’s Office said.
Perna was also charged Tuesday with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for a separate incident.
Both men face up to 43 years in prison and $ 750,000 in fines for their three charges.
Manzo and Perna made their first appearance in federal court on Tuesday via video conference. They were released with $ 100,000 unsecured appearance bonds, NJ.com reported.
ABC News was unable to contact his lawyers. Manzo’s attorney, Michael Critchley, said his client is “absolutely innocent,” and the allegations “are more like a fictional reality show plot,” according to The Associated Press.
Manzo and Cantin were married in 2007 at Brownstone. Their wedding was documented in the VH1 series “My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding”. Cantin starred in “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” from 2009 to 2010 and in 2014 under the name Dina Manzo. The two separated in 2012 and finalized their divorce in February 2016. Cantin and her current husband, David Cantin, were married in 2017.
The 2015 assault is unrelated to a robbery in 2017 that involved the reality star and his then-betrothed.
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