Dina Manzo’s ex-husband Tommy Manzo pleads not guilty to hiring a hitman to attack Dina’s now-husband Dave Cantin.
On Tuesday, FBI agents arrested Tommy, 55, who currently resides in Franklin Lakes, NJ. He later appeared in front of a federal court via Zoom.
Tommy is accused of allegedly hiring John Perna, a known soldier of the Lucchese crime family, to attack Dina’s then-boyfriend and current husband Dave in exchange for a discount wedding reception at the Manzo family’s banquet hall – The Brownstone, located in Paterson, NJ. Tommy co-owns The Brownstone along with his brother Albert Manzo. Albert is married to Dina’s sister and former RHONJ star Caroline Manzo.
According to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, after the attack on Cantin, in July 2015, Perna “held a lavish wedding reception at Manzo’s restaurant for a fraction of the price.”
Federal Judge Cathy L. Waldor set Tommy and Perna’s bail at $100,000 each after charging them both with “committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon and falsifying records.”
Tommy’s attorney Michael Critchley said his client is “absolutely innocent, and the allegations more resemble a fictionalized plot of a reality TV show and will be proven to be nothing more than that.”
Dina and Tommy were married for 11 years before officially splitting in 2016. Dina starred on the first two seasons of the Real Housewives of New Jersey; however, Tommy never appeared on the show.
The former couple’s marriage was over long before their official split. Dina was already dating Dave when he was attacked in July 2015.
The RHONJ OG and Dave tied the knot in 2019.
Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey will return to Bravo in late 2020 or early 2021.
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