Former ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ personality Dina Cantin’s ex-husband, formerly Dina Manzo, will serve seven years in prison for hiring a gangster to assault the TV star’s boyfriend, office says of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. announcement Tuesday.
Thomas Manzo, who was married to the podcast host from 2005 to 2016, was convicted of hiring and then helping a reputed gangster assault Dave Cantin, now the TV star’s husband, in 2015. Manzo, 59 years old, was also sentenced to three years in prison. of supervised release in addition to his prison sentence.
Manzo was sentenced in June for conspiracy, falsifying and concealing records and committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. A legal representative for Manzo did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Wednesday.
“Whether you belong to the mafia or not, hiring the mafia to assault someone because of your marital problems is abhorrent. Covering up the role you played only makes things worse,” US Atty. » Philip R. Sellinger said in the announcement. “Today’s jury verdict and sentence make it clear that this office will spare no resources in holding anyone who commits such crimes accountable.” »
Prosecutors, during a nearly three-week trial earlier this year, alleged that Manzo hired John Perna, of the Lucchese family, to carry out the July 2015 assault on Dave Cantin in exchange for receiving free wedding. Prosecutors say the attack left Cantin with significant injuries.
A month after the assault, Perna threw an extravagant reception for about 330 people at Manzo’s Brownstone restaurant. While under federal investigation, Manzo concealed and falsified documents relating to the marriage, prosecutors argued. Perna pleaded guilty to the assault in December 2020 and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. He was released in August 2023.
Dina Cantin, 52, was an occasional cast member of “RHONJ” since the series premiered in 2009, but left the reality series. in the midst of his move to the West Coast. She and Manzo split in 2012 and finalized their divorce in 2016.
In June 2017, Dina and Dave Cantin got married. A representative for Dina Cantin did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Wednesday, but the TV star shared an upbeat quote from writer Bianca Sparacino on her Instagram amid condemnation of her ex-husband .
“Because at the end of the day, it’s the right people who are fighting for you. The right people are showing up,” the since-expired Instagram story read. “Good people care, not only when life is convenient, but also when it is difficult, messy, and painful everywhere. »
Times sStaff writer Angie Orellana Hernandez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
