RHONJ: Dina Manzo’s ex hired someone to assault her husband

The assault of Dina Manzo’s husband has apparently been linked to her ex-husband, Thomas Manzo, and a member of an organized crime family.

Dina Manzo was on The Real Housewives of New Jersey during seasons one and two, and again for season six.  She used to be married to Thomas Manzo but the pair finalized their divorce back in 2016.  She is now married to David Cantin, the victim of this assault.  David was assaulted in “parking lot of a strip mall in July 2015,” according to a local NBC New York.  Manzo and John Perna are now facing federal charges from the incident.  Thomas claimed he was upset that Dina and Cantin had started a relationship.

Perna is allegedly a member of an organized crime family and has quite the history.  Perna apparently agreed to the assault in exchange for a wedding dinner at a restaurant owned by Thomas.  The Brownstone appears to be quite the venue for weddings, mob-aligned or not.  According to Fox News,  the pair has been charged with “committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity and conspiracy to commit a violent crime in aid of racketeering activity.”

It also states that Perna was charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, while Thomas was also charged with concealing and falsifying documents relating to his former car.

He alleged the car was stolen and set on fire.  Thomas filed an insurance claim after it was found burned, but the paperwork says one of Perna’s associates was responsible.  Perna, a member of the Lucchese crime family, threw a wild party at Thomas Manzo’s restaurant – the rest was apparently paid for by his shady family.

It appears that the mob still has their hands in quite a few cookie jars in that area.  Both men pleaded not guilty to the crimes and appeared in front of a judge via video conference.

Dina and her husband were also victims of a break-in back in 2017, unrelated to this incident (or so we think).  The perpetrator of that attack, James Mainello, was indicted back in 2019 for the crimes.

Dina and David celebrated their anniversary earlier this week, while her father passed away at the end of April.  Hopefully, these charges will bring the family some peace at last.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey will be back later this year.