Who Is Dina Manzo's Ex-Husband? Thomas Manzo Arrested On Alleged Assault And Racketeering Charges
What we know about the charges.
s_bukley / Shutterstock Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo is a self-made entrepreneur whose success has gone above and beyond her time on the hit Bravo show. In addition to having her own skincare line called Glow By Dina, she has her own party-planning business and runs a non-profit organization called Project Ladybug, which helps families of children with cancer pay for their medical bills.
Unfortunately, Dina Manzo is not in the news today for any of her myriad of accomplishments, but because her ex-husband just got arrested for a myriad of Federal charges. Dina Manzo's second ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, allegedly hired a "hitman" to assault her then-boyfriend in exchange for a discounted wedding at The Brownstone, the wedding venue owned by the Manzo family and featured heavily on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. And if that wasn't bad enough, he then covered up the alleged crime when questioned about it.
Who is Dina Manzo's ex-husband, Thomas Manzo?
Let's back up a bit.
He married Dina Manzo in 2005, but they divorced in 2016.
Dina and Tommy Manzo married in 2005, and the wedding was so extravagant, it was featured on the short-lived VH1 show, My Big Fat Fabulous Wedding. However, in 2013, she announced on Twitter that she'd split from Tommy Manzo after 7 years of marriage back in October 2012. Though, at the time, Dina Manzo said that she and Tommy Manzo would always "share a special love," he couple's divorce was finalized in 2016.
He's one of the co-owners of The Brownstone wedding venue.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Thomas Manzo — who lists himself as a resident of "the Greater New York City Area" — is the Vice-President of The Brownstone, a wedding venue owned by the Manzo family for many years. In fact, the first thing you see on the "About Us" page is a reference to Thomas Manzo, wherein clients are encouraged to contact either him or Albert Manzo, his brother, if they have any questions about their wedding reception and rescheduling it as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was recently arrested and charged with several counts of racketeering-related charges.
According to the press release issued on Tuesday, June 30th, 2020 by the United States Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey, Thomas Manzo is being charged with "committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity." His alleged co-conspirator, John Perna, is also being charged with "conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud related to the submission of a false car insurance claim." Additionally, Thomas Manzo is being charged with "falsifying and concealing records related to the federal investigation of the violent crime."
His alleged co-conspirator has ties to the Lucchese crime/mob family.
According to that same press release detailing the indictment, John Perna is listed as a "soldier in the Lucchese crime family," one of the notorious "Five Families" that dominated New York City beginning in the 1920s.
According to the charges, Thomas Manzo allegedly hired John Perna to assault Dina Manzo's then-boyfriend in exchange for a discounted rate at The Brownstone.
The United States Attorney's Office alleges that Thomas Manzo hired John Perna to assault Dina Manzo's then-boyfriend (whose name isn't listed, so it's unclear if the victim is her current husband, Dean Cantin) in exchange for getting a "deeply discounted rate" for a wedding reception. Furthermore, the United States Attorney's Office alleges that Perna carried out the job in July 2015, and one month later, Perna held his "discounted" wedding at The Brownstone. The wedding had more than 330 guests, was paid for by another member of the Lucchese crime family, and featured several members of the Lucchese crime family in attendance.
There's another "paperwork"-type charge in there.
Additionally, Thomas Manzo allegedly falsified and concealed records relating to the hit on Dina Manzo's then-boyfriend. Ultimately, everything was discovered in November 2019, when the FBI executed a search warrant on The Brownstone and uncovered all the documents.
Manzo's attorney, Michael Critchley, denied the claims against his client. "The allegations more resemble a fictional plot of a reality TV show and will be proven to be absolutely and totally false as it relates to Thomas Manzo," Critchley said.
If convicted, Thomas Manzo faces up to 20 years per count, as well as fines totaling more than $250,000 per count.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.