He hired a mobster to attack his RHONJ ex’s new lover – on the promise of a free wedding reception
When a "soldier" of the Lucchese Crime Family walked into Tommy Manzo's wedding venue looking for a place for his upcoming nuptials, the businessman came up with a wild proposition : the mobster could have the reception free of charge in exchange for a favor.
It was 2015 and Manzo's marriage was over, with his Real Housewives of New Jersey ex-wife Dina Cantin in a new relationship with a younger man.
Manzo suggested to Lucchese soldier John Perna that he would hire him to assault Dina's then-boyfriend Dave Cantin, and leave him with "a permanent facial scar," according to an indictment.
Seduced by the promise of a free wedding, Perna agreed to the deal.
If you think this sounds like a Real Housewives episode, you're not alone.
Manzo's lawyer, Michael Critchley, told the New York Post that it sounded like a "fictional plot of a reality-TV show", while an FBI spokesperson described it as akin to a "bad TV crime drama."
Now, nine years on, Manzo has finally been jailed.
On Tuesday, the 59-year-old was sentenced to seven years in prison, with an additional three years of supervised release.
"He will now face just punishment for his crimes," New Jersey District Attorney Philip Sellinger said.
Manzo and Dina married four years before her debut on RHONJ in 2009.
Their relationship appeared rocky from the start, with Dina admitting in a 2007 episode of My Big Fabulous Wedding that she married Manzo knowing he had already been unfaithful.
By 2012, the couple had separated and, four years later, they finalized their divorce.
Following their separation, Dina began a relationship with Dave Cantin, an entrepreneur and philanthropist – something that "upset" Manzo, according to court documents.
Then, one day in early 2015, Manzo was working at his Brownstone Restaurant in Patterson when Perna walked through the door.
The "made" member of the Lucchese crime family wanted to hold a wedding reception at the venue that August.
Manzo said that Perna could have the reception for free, or at a deeply discounted price, if he would be his accomplice in attacking Dina's new boyfriend (who would later go on to become her husband).
The cost of the wedding ended up being a lot more.
Prosecutors said that Manzo supplied Perna with personal info about Cantin – including the addresses for his home and business, and details about his vehicle.
On July 18, 2015, Perna tracked Cantin's vehicle to a strip mall in Passaic County, according to the indictment.
The mobster was armed with a slapstick – a flat, leather-clad weighted baton that, if dense enough, could break bones and whose rough leather edges could potentially lacerate the face.
Perna intended "to inflict serious permanent injury," according to court documents.
Prosecutors said the attack left the RHONJ star's partner with "significant injuries."
After the attack, Manzo held (almost) true to his promise, holding the wedding reception at a "heavily discounted" price.
And so Perna had a "lavish" wedding reception at Brownstone Restaurant, just one month after the attack, prosecutors said.
"The reception was attended by over 330 guests, many of whom were members of the Lucchese Crime Family," according to prosecutors.
In June 2020, both Manzo and Perna were arrested and charged with one count each of violent crime in aid of racketeering activity assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count each of conspiracy to commit an assault with a dangerous weapon and an assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Separately, Perna was also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and Manzo faced one count of falsifying and concealing records related to a federal investigation.
Perna pleaded guilty to one count each of violent crime in aid of racketeering activity in December 2020 and was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. He was released in August 2023.
Manzo pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following a two-week trial at Newark federal court in June 2024, Manzo was convicted of all charges.
Following her ex-husband's conviction, Dina took to Instagram. "I call my power back to me. I call my energy back to me. I call my magic back to me. I am cleansed and disconnected from anything that may drain me," she said.
On Tuesday, Manzo was sentenced in Newark federal court to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release.
Dina, the next day, posted a cryptic message on social media.
"So many layers... so much emotion. I'm leaning into all of it," the reality star posted.
"Eventually I will speak on it, every bit of it. As I know, we as humans ultimately are here to serve and assist others with their pain and suffering."
