Dina Manzo’s ex-husband, Tommy Manzo, asks a judge to dismiss a racketeering case in which he was accused of hiring a mobster to beat up Manzo’s then-boyfriend, now husband, David Cantin.
The restaurant owner’s attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Zach Intrater, have asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, saying he was denied a “speedy trial” under the law. New York Post.
The case traces back to a 2020 indictment alleging that Manzo made a deal with a Lucchese crime family soldier to attack Dina’s, 51, boyfriend, 44, in a North Jersey parking lot five years earlier.
Gangster John Perna, 44, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was found guilty of the 2015 attack and sentenced to two and a half years.
But Manzo wants the case dismissed, claiming the court’s extraordinarily slow pace violates the federal Speedy Trial Act of 1974.
Dina Manzo’s 51-year-old ex-husband, Tommy Manzo (seen with Dina) asks a judge to dismiss a racketeering case in which he was accused of hiring a mobster to kill Manzo’s then-boyfriend, now husband, David Cantin , 44, to beat up
The restaurateur’s lawyers asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, claiming he was denied a “speedy trial,” according to the New York Post; Dina in the picture with David
“The last day on which Mr. Manzo could be brought to trial on the charges under the (law) was December 10, 2022,” read the federal court filing, filed Jan. 19.
“But an effective continuation was not signed until almost eleven months later,” the report continued.
“There is no doubt that this case involves a violation of the (Speedy Trial Act)… the charges against Mr. Manzo must be dismissed,” the filing concluded.
Intrater also added in a statement Friday that Manzo “is a respected businessman who looks forward to these charges being dismissed so he can return to his family and the work he loves.”
Perna pleaded guilty in 2020 to a federal charge of committing a violent crime in furtherance of racketeering activities.
In exchange for his services, Perna allegedly received a huge discount on his wedding reception at Tom Manzo’s Patterson restaurant in Brownstone.
“The reception was attended by over 330 guests, many of whom were members of the Lucchese Crime Family,” the statement said. New York Post said.
Perna and a gangster associate attacked Cantin in July 2015 with a slapjack, a club weapon favored by gangsters, in the parking lot of a New Jersey strip mall, prosecutors said.
Gangster John Perna, 44 years old – a member of the Lucchese crime family – was found guilty of the 2015 attack in 2021 and sentenced to two and a half years
Prosecutors said Dina’s ex-husband hired Perna to attack Cantin because he was angry that she had moved in with her new boyfriend after they broke up.
Perna and a gangster associate attacked Cantin in July 2015 with a slapjack, a club weapon favored by gangsters, in the parking lot of a New Jersey strip mall, prosecutors said
In exchange for carrying out the attack, prosecutors say Manzo allowed Perna to host a lavish wedding reception at his Brownstone Restaurant (pictured) in Paterson, New Jersey, for a fraction of the price.
The incident left Cantin, who married Dina in 2017, with a permanent facial scar
The incident left Cantin, who married Dina in 2017, with a permanent facial scar.
Dina and Manzo separated in 2012 and divorced in 2016, with their marriage on the verge of dissolution at the time of the assault.
Both Manzo and Perna were arrested and charged with conspiracy and committing a crime of violence in aid of racketeering activities.
Manzo pleaded not guilty. He was later charged in a separate incident in which he and an associate were accused of attacking his wife and her new husband during a 2017 home invasion.
Manzo is co-owner of the Brownstone location with his brother Albert. The location appeared on episodes of the RHONJ when Dina was on the show.
In addition to arranging the alleged assault, Manzo was also accused of falsifying and concealing records when federal authorities investigating the assault subpoenaed the venue for documents related to the wedding.
Manzo failed to turn over relevant documents in response to those subpoenas and intentionally provided a false receipt document, the indictment said.
Dina (seen here in 2010) starred in seasons one, two and six of Real Housewives of New Jersey and also appeared as a guest in season four
FBI agents raided the venue in November last year and seized invoices for the wedding reception, as well as other relevant documents that had not previously been turned over.
Dina appeared on the first two seasons of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey in 2009-2010 before returning for season six in 2014.
She appeared alongside her siblings Caroline Manzo (seasons 1-5) and brother and sister-in-law Chris and Jacqueline Laurita (seasons 1-5). She is the godmother of Teresa Giudice’s youngest daughter, Audriana, 10.
She has a daughter from a previous relationship, Alexia Ioannou, 23, born in 1996.
